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The EXPERT PAINT 
MIXER 


DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF HOUSE 
AND STRUCTURAL PAINTERS 


GIVING 


A COURSE OF INSTRUCTION IN THE PREPARATION OF 
PAINTS USED FOR INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR WORK 
WITH DIRECTIONS FOR APPLYING THEM 
AND WITH WHICH COURSE ARE INCLUDED CLEAR AND 
HELPFUL OBSERVATIONS ON THE THEORY, NATURE 
AND ORIGIN OF COLOR 
DESCRIPTIONS OF BASES, PIGMENTS AND LIQUIDS 
EMPLOYED IN THE COMPOUNDING OF PAINTS 
WITH MANY USEFUL TABLES AND SUGGESTIONS 
OF A PRACTICAL NATURE 


By A. ASHMUN KELLY 


AUTHOR OF THE EXPERT SERIES OF BOOKS FOR HOUSE AND SIGN 
PAINTERS, WOOD FINISHERS, PAPERHANGERS, INTERIOR 
DECORATORS, CALCIMINERS 


PHILADELPHIA 


DAVID McKAY COMPANY, PuBLisHErRs 
604-608 Sourn WASHINGTON SQUARE 


1923 


COPYRIGHTED, 1920, BY 
Davin McKay Company 


WM > F. FELL CO - PRINTERS 
PHILADELPHIA 


eee 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER I.—THEORY, ORIGIN, AND NATURE OF COLOR........ 
The Primary Colors—Secondary Colors—Tertiary Colors. 
The Neutral Colors—Meaning of Hue—Shade—Color— 
Tint—Gray and Grey—Hot, Cold, Cool and Warm Colors. 


CHAPTER II.—DESCRIPTION AND ENUMERATION OF PAINTERS’ 

ee iy ye ie ayes iv’e sep ee be RU ¢ ed's 

The Painter’s Palette—Umber, Sienna, Ochre, Yellow 

Chrome, Vandyke Brown, Green, Red, Blue, Black and 

White—Indian Red, Venetian Red, Tuscan Red, Paris 
Green, Prussian Blue. 


CuapTer II].—THE WHITE PIGMENTS USED IN PAINTS....... 
Inert Pigments—White Lead—Zinc White—Lead Sulphate 
—Sublimed Lead—Zinc Lead—Whiting—Barytes—Chinese 
White—Florence White—Lithopone. 


CHAPTER IV.—DESCRIPTION OF WHITE LEAD AND ZINC OXIDE 
Basic Lead Carbonate—How Made—lIts Characteristics— 
Pulp Lead—Zinc White—Oxide of Zinc—French and Amer- 
ican Processes—Characteristics of Zinc White—Value as a 
Paint Base. 


CHAPTER V.—LINSEED O11, ITs MANUFACTURE AND MERITS... 
Cold Process Oil—The Hot Process—Characteristics—Raw 
and Boiled Oil—Tests—For Adulterations. 


CHAPTER VI.—TURPENTINE AND OTHER PAINT THINNERS..... 
Gum Spirits—Stump or Wood Spirits—Testing Turpentine 
for Adulterations—Russian Turpentine—Naphtha—Ben- 
zine—Benzol—Kerosene—Rosin Spirit—Pine Oil—Alcohol, 
Ethyl and Methyl—Cottonseed Oil—Corn Oil—Menhaden 
Oil—Tung Oil. 


CuaPTerR VII.—Drvyine AGENTS USED IN MIXING PAINTS..... 
Nature of a Drier—Turpentine and Gum Driers—Pigments 
Non-Driers—Excess of Driers—Drying Powers—Good and 
Poor Driers—Patent or Paste Driers—Lightning Driers— 
Litharge as a Drier—Substances Used in Making Driers— 
Manganese. 


14 


24 


33 


42 


47 


56 


Contents 


Caapter VIII.—Paint Mrixinc, INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR..... 
Two Forms of Paint, Oil and Turpentine as Thinning 
Agents—How to Mix the White Lead—Amount of Driers 
to Use—Proportions of Oil and Turpentine—How to Incor- 
porate the Color—The Paint Paddle—Straining Paint— 
Priming Coats—Paint for Cold or Warm Weather—Paint 
for the Different Kinds of Lumber—Burnt-off Surfaces— 
Stock Paint—Ready Mixed Paints—Formulas for Mixing 
Zinc and Lead Paints. 


CHAPTER [X.—PREPARATION OF PAINTS FOR VARIOUS USES... 
New and Old Exterior Work—Interior Painting—Chalking 
of Lead Paint—Drawn Lead—Pure White Paint—Paint for 
Plaster Walls—For Brickwork—For Cement—For Metal 
Work—Red Lead Paint for Iron and Steel Work—Formulas 
—Mixing Red Lead. 


CHAPTER X.—CoLor FormMuLAS—How To Mix TInTs, ETC.... 
Colors in Which Red Predominates—Colors in Which Blue 
Predominates—Colors in Which Yellow Predominates— 
The Buff Family of Colors—Various Colors, Unclassified— 
Additional Color Formulas—Colors of Common Use. 


CHAPTER XI.—USEFUL SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PAINT MIXER.. 
Formula for Chocolate Brown Paint—List of Permanent 
and Fugitive Colors—To Imitate Tube Colors—To Darken 
Certain Colors—Description of the Pigments—Assisting 
Slow Colors to Dry—Practical Notes for the Paint Mixer— 
Perfect Color Combinations—How to Mix Various Special 
Paints—Paint Formulas and Suggestions. 


83 


I0o 


I20 


CHAPTER I 


THE THEORY, ORIGIN, AND NATURE OF 
COLOR 


Aristotle, writing two thousand years ago, called 
attention to the fact of certain colors not being sus- 
ceptible of production by admixture of other colors; 
in other words, they are primary colors, from which 
all other colors may be formed. He called attention 
to the colors produced by a rainbow as being those 
“which, almost alone, painters cannot make: For 
they compound some colors; but red, green and violet 
are not produced by mixture.” 

A discussion of color theory would involve the mak- 
ing of a book, and there are already books covering 
the subject; hence we will give simply a brief explana- 
tion thereof, and in the plainest terms. 

To become an expert color mixer one needs to know 
the origin of colors, as well as their nature and color- 
ing qualities. We know that there are three colors 
which we cannot produce by mixing any other colors 
together; these are red, yellow and blue. We also 
know that with these three Primary COLORS we can 
produce an almost endless series of colors, hues, shades 

9 


ite) The Expert Paint Mixer 


and tints. We may include with the three primaries 
BLack and WHITE; the one representing the condi- 
tion produced when absolute darkness prevails, the 
other when all the rays of sunlight combine. We can 
approximate black by adding together red and blue 
in certain proportions; try this, and you will be sur- 
prised, perhaps, at the depth of the black possible by 
this means; some experts claim that they get a 
blacker black than any of the blacks represented in 
pigments. But black and white are known as NEv- 
TRAL Cotors. They agree in harmony with all other 
colors, just as gold does in decoration. 

The generally accepted theory of color is, that sun- 
light is composed of a certain number of pure or 
primary colors which, when combined, form white 
light; in the absence of that light color does not 
exist. If it were possible to totally exclude every 
vestige of sunlight from the earth nothing would be 
visible; there would be only an intense black void. 
But as this is not possible, on earth at least, there is, 
even in the darkest possible condition of things, a 
partial presence of light, and enough to produce what 
appears to be black. Hence we say “the night is 
black as coals.” 

When a beam of sunlight is directed through a glass 
prism it is separated into its component color parts, 
red, blue and yellow, these in several gradations of 


The Expert Paint Mixer II 


color or hue. The rainbow also is a prism, even more 
beautiful in its color analysis than the glass prism. 

Now we come to the next series of colors, which are 
known as the SECONDARIES. Taking the pure prima- 
ries, with red and blue mixed together we get purple; 
carefully examine purple and you will easily discern 
both the red and blue init. Then by mixing blue and 
yellow we get green; the expert sees both these pri- 
maries in his green color, his color vision being ex- 
tremely acute. It is this faculty that we wish you to 
obtain through a study of this book. Resuming, let 
us take the two remaining primaries, yellow and red, 
and mix them together; orange is the result. And 
now we have formed the three secondaries, let us 
take up the third series, known as the TERTIARIES. 
These are Russet, Olive, and Citrine. Russet is 
formed from orange and purple; Olive from orange 
and green; citrine from green and purple. 

All further colors are of necessity formed from 
these three sets of colors; or, more correctly, from 
the primaries. But we shall not call them colors, 
excepting in our shop language. Because we shall 
have tints, hues or shades of the three sets of colors 
given. ‘These may be effected by adding white or 
black to the colors, whites giving the tints, and black 
the shades of colors. Or we may alter the colors by 
adding more or less of one of its component parts; 
for instance, we may add more yellow to the blue, 


12 The Expert Paint Mixer 


and get a lighter hue of green. Or more of the blue 
and get a darker shade of the green. 

By adding a little of a color to white we get a TINT 
of that color. By adding black to a color we get a 
shade of that color. The term HvE applies to the 
shade of a pure or unmixed compound color; thus, 
by adding more of one of its components to a color 
you alter its hue, and deepen it or lighten it. 

Here is a little table of color terms that it would 
be well to commit to memory. 

CoLor is any one of the primary, secondary, or 
tertiary colors. 

HvE means a particular tone of color; thus, there 
are purple-blues, orange-yellow, etc. 

Tint is the name of a color produced by adding a 
little pure color to white. 

SHADE relates to the darkened effect of a color 
when black has been added to it. 

GREY and GRaAy, variously spelt, mean one and the 
same thing, though some claim that the two spellings 
mean a difference of color mixing; thus, grey is 
made when white is slightly darkened by the addition 
of black. Gray, by the tinting of white with blue, 
black, and a trifle of red: This latter is the true so- 
called French gray. 

A hot color means red, which is the color of fire. 
And it is the opinion of decorators that red walls — 


The Expert Paint Mixer 13 


really add to the warmth of a room; perhaps the feel- 
ing of warmth is purely imaginary. 

A warm color applies to yellow and its modifications. 
Yellow is always advised for cold rooms, or those 
having a northern exposure. 

A cold color is typified by blue, the color of ice, as 
some say. Blue is suggestive of coldness; it is suit- 
able for southern exposed rooms. 

Green is generally regarded as a cool color. 


CHAPTER II 


A DESCRIPTION AND ENUMERATION OF 
PAINTERS’ COLORS 


The artist has his “palette of colors.” So also the 
structural painter, but whose palette is much more 
restricted as to number of pigments. Give him the 
umbers, siennas, yellow ochre, Vandyke brown, yellow 
chrome, green, red, blue, black, and the whites— 
white lead, zinc white, etc., and he will be abundantly 
supplied. Of course there are divers reds, blues, etc., 
which he must have, thereby somewhat extending his 
palette, but on the other hand he can, when of neces- 
sity, do with less. For instance, in the place of Van- 
dyke brown he can make shift with a mixture of burnt 
umber and black. And sienna is simply a form of 
yellow ochre; clay and iron, both, only in different 
proportions. And as previously stated, he can make 
black with red and blue. 

Taking these painters’ pigments in hand let us get 
acquainted with them. We find them in two classes 
as regards nature and origin; there are the earth or 
mineral pigments and the chemical pigments. And, 
further, we may subdivide these classes; by mixing 
some chemical colors to the mineral colors we get a 

14 


The Expert Paint Mixer 15 


third class, namely, Indian red, Venetian red, Tuscan 
red, etc. Then, by adding some inert pigment matter 
to a chemical color we get such colors as chrome green. 

Umber is an earth or mineral color, clay strongly 
colored with iron. While some of the natural umber 
is prepared and used in painting, its color and color 
value is greatly improved by subjecting it to heat or 
fire, by which is produced burnt umber. The best 
grade of umber is found in Europe, and is known as 
Turkey umber; the umber found in America is much 
inferior. The true Turkey umber has a warm violet- 
brown color; some umbers have a yellow tone. An 
imitation umber may be made from a mixture of red, 
yellow and black; but the color thus made would be 
lacking in the clear transparency of true umber. 
However, the imitation may be used in many cases 
with perfect satisfaction. 

Used alone, as a coating, umber deteriorates in the 
sunlight, fading to a rusty brown. It is very seldom 
used that way, its chief uses being in stains and in 
graining, also in oil paints. In paint, mixed with 
white lead, it gives a very pleasing drab. 

Raw umber is seldom used, but makes a rather 
good tinter with lead or zinc, producing a soft gray- 
ish color. 

Vandyke brown is probably derived from the de- 
composition of lignite or brown coal, and in house 
painting it is chiefly useful for imitating black walnut, 


16 The Expert Paint Mixer 


the feather effect in mahogany graining, and for stip- 
pling. With white lead or zinc white it gives muddy 
tints or colors. But it is a durable pigment where it 
can be used, and is perfectly neutral when used with 
other pigments, oil, etc. There are several varieties, 
all stable and neutral. Vandyke brown is easily imi- 
tated with black and burnt umber. 

Yellow ochre comes in several grades, that from 
France being the best. The American yellow ochre is 
far inferior to that of the French, as concerns paint, 
yet the American ochre has three times the tinting 
strength of the French. The difference between the 
two in all other respects, however, is very important: 
The French ochre has a silicate base; whereas, the 
American ochre has a clay base. It is because clay 
readily takes up water that such ochre is not fit for 
paint. It can draw moisture while incorporated with 
the paint materials, and this causes such a paint to 
blister and scale. Then as to tinting lead, the Amer- 
ican ochre gives a dull tint, and the French a bright, 
clear tint. Nor does the American ochre spread or 
cover so well as the other does. 

The best grades of French ochre have a bright 
color, similar to that of yellow chrome. It should 
contain at least 20 per cent. of iron oxide, and not 
more than 5 per cent. of lime in any form. i S. 
Government specification.) 

Never prime exterior woodwork with yellow ochre, 


Se a 


The Expert Paint Mixer 17 


although it is a common practise in some parts of the 
country. Such priming will cause scaling of the paint 
in course of time. As such priming is mostly done 
with the cheap ochres the result is the worse on that 
account; a French ochre would probably not cause 
paint-scale, but it is a chance only. 

The so-called “Golden Ochre” is of various grades, 
the best being French ochre lightened with medium 
chrome yellow. 

Sienna comes in the natural state and also in the 
burned or calcined. Sienna is simply a form of ochre 
that is somewhat browner in tone. Some class ochre 
and sienna under the same head, but for trade uses 
we had better separate the two, ochre and sienna. 
When yellow ochre is calcined it gives a red tone. 
So too when sienna is calcined we have a bright red 
of a very handsome hue. In this form it is very use- 
ful for staining and for graining. It is seldom em- 
ployed as a tinter of white lead or zinc white, but its 
strength is tested by coloring some white. As it is 
most useful in stains and grainers’ work, its trans- 
parency is the important point, rather than its tint- 
ing strength. Try it by spreading very thinly on a 
prepared ground of pale yellow, as in graining. Raw 
sienna is used in imitating light oak, and for darker 
shades of oak a little burnt umber or drop black is 
added. The burnt sienna is useful for imitating cherry 
and mahogany. 

2 


18 The Expert Paint Mixer 


I have stated that sienna is seldom used for tinting 
white lead or zinc white; this should be qualified, by 
saying that house painters seldom so use it, but that 
decorators find it useful for decorative work. The 
raw sienna makes very soft, pleasing yellow tints. 
The Italian sienna is the best. 

Chrome yellow comes in several shades, as the pale 
or lemon chrome, medium shade yellow, dark yellow 
and orange yellow. The medium shade is that most 
used by house painters, and it may be added that very 
little yellow chrome finds use in the house-painting 
shop. It is rather a color for decorators’ use. 

Its trade name is lead chromate, the light shades 
containing, usually, lead sulphate as well as lead 
chromate; the darker shades or orange chrome con- 
tain some basic lead chromate. We shall find chrome 
yellow adulterated, very often, as this is easily accom- 
plished and the pigment pass for good. Pure lead 
chromate should show an orange yellow, no matter 
how made. So strong in tinting power is pure chrome 
yellow that as much as 50 per cent. of an adulterant 
might be added and the fact pass without detection 
among painters. 

Of the reds used in house painting the most im- 
portant are the humbler ones, such as Venetian red or 
Indian red. Indian red is simply iron oxide. But it 
is a very beautiful type of that color. The Tuscan 
red, once used in painting window sashes, and for 


The Expert Paint Mixer 19 


painting railway passenger cars, is simply Indian red 
altered with some rose pink, or with an aniline dye. 
Hence it is not so stable as the pure Indian red. But 
there is a genuine Tuscan red, made by calcining iron 
oxide to a purple hue, in which condition it is Indian 
red; it is then improved in color by the addition of 
alizarine lake, after which it goes through other pro- 
cesses of manufacture, and is finely ground. Imita- 
tion Tuscan red is made from a base of whiting or 
other suitable white base, then is colored up with 
aniline dye. It gives a more brilliant color than the 
other, but is not durable. 

Venetian red finds its chief use in roof painting, 
being useless for coloring white lead with, as it fades 
out; it does better in zinc white, however. The 
Government requires of a Venetian red that it shall 
contain not less than 4o per cent. of sesquioxide of 
iron and not more than 15 per cent. of silica; the 
remainder of the lime content to be not capable of 
taking up water of crystallization. The best grades 
contain lime sulphate, the inferior grades lime car- 
bonate; that is to say, gypsum in the one case, whit- 
ing in the other. The more iron oxide and the finer 
ground, the deeper the color and the better the cover- 
ing capacity. 

Of vermilion little needs to be said, as structural 
painters do not use it. However, decorators and sign 
painters, also vehicle painters, use it largely. There 


20 The Expert Paint Mixer 


are the English, the Chinese, and the German ver- 
milions, the American vermilions being simply imita- 
tions. Thelatter can be made from red lead colored with 
eosine red aniline. American vermilion is a chromate 
of lead, fairly permanent, a poor coverer, and used in 
cheap work, such as in painting wagons and agricultural 
tools. The Para reds are better and much used now. 

What is called ‘‘light red” is calcined yellow ochre. 
It is permanent and dries well. 

Of blue there are several kinds, but that most used 
in structural painting is Prussian blue and ultramarine 
blue. Prussian blue is a chemical pigment, a very 
strong color, useful for tinting lead, but not a good 
body-color, being too transparent. While ordinarily 
permanent, yet in a strong light and too long exposed 
thereto, it shows a tendency to fade. 

Under the head of Prussian blue are placed all 
similarly made blues, such as Chinese blue, Antwerp 
blue, etc. They all analyze the same, yet when used 
for tinting purposes you will see that they differ. 
Prussian blue gives a light blue shade with white; 
but the color or tint is slightly purplish and grayish. 
The Chinese and other blues of this order yield a 
clearer and truer shade of blue. There is also a dif- 
ference in the coloring powers. 

Celestial and Brunswick blues are simply adulter- 
ated or reduced grades of Prussian blue, containing 
perhaps as little as 5 per cent. of real Prussian blue. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 21 


Ultramarine blue is another chemically prepared 
pigment. Chemists say ‘‘it is of unknown constitu- 
tion, being made by heating clay, soda, sulphur and 
charcoal together. It appears to be a complete sili- 
cate of aluminum and sodium.” ‘This is given here 
mainly to illustrate the wonderful manner in which 
some of our pigments are produced. As ultramarine 
blue contains sulphur it is not safe to use in white 
lead or other paint substance containing lead salts. 
The pigment has very little use in the paint shop, 
though in interior work, as in water colors, in deco- 
rating, it is largely used when a blue tint is required; 
it does well in lime compounds, where Prussian blue 
does not. 

Green is one of the most used of the pigments in 
house painting. As a chrome green it is adapted for 
window blinds principally. For this purpose the green 
need not be pure, but may contain a large percentage 
of adulteration in the form of barytes, etc. Like 
Prussian blue, it has great covering power, which ac- 
counts for its good covering quality when used as a 
body color. Green has the reputation of fading out, 
when exposed to the weather and sunlight, but this 
fault is less pronounced in properly made greens. A 
pure chrome green contains Prussian blue, lead chro- 
mate and lead sulphate. Chrome green may be made 
in two ways; by mixing together Prussian blue and 
chrome yellow. Or by precipitating the two pigments 


22 The Expert Paint Mixer 


together, which is done in the factory, producing a 
more stable pigment. Where entire permanence is 
required chromium oxide is used, but this pigment is 
not common. Green made from ultramarine blue 
and zinc is also made. 

You will observe, when mixing a pot of ordinary 
chrome green, and letting it stand some hours, that 
the yellow settles down and the blue comes to the 
surface. This occurs when the two pigments have 
been mechanically mixed. On the other hand, a 
properly made chrome green will not show this yellow, 
but only very small particles of blue and green. 

Paris green was, years ago, much used in painting 
inside Venetian blinds, but its very poisonous nature 
caused it to be discarded. Added to chrome green it 
is thought to improve or liven the color. Paris, or 
Emerald, green is an extremely poor covering color. 

Ultramarine green finds some use with the interior 
decorator, or frescoer, but it is too transparent to be 
used in oil color. It is a permanent color. 

Of the blacks used in painting we have two, drop 
black and lampblack. Drop black is popularly sup- 
posed to be produced from ivory, calcined, but it sel- 
dom is. It is most likely to be made from bones, cal- 
cined. Ivory drop black has a rich, velvety black hue, 
and bone black a reddish cast of color. Pure ivory 
drop black resists strong sunlight better than any 


The Expert Paint Mixer 23 


other of the carbon blacks excepting lampblack. This 
is one of its chief merits in carriage painting. 

From the above we see that the two blacks will not 
produce the same color effects in tinting white. Lamp- 
black produces a cold tone of gray, while ivory drop 
black gives a softer tint. When you have a gray tint 
to make add a little burnt umber to the black. This 
softens the tint. 

Lampblack is a finely divided form of carbon, the 
product of burning oils, in the form of smoke. So 
well known is the durability of lampblack paint that 
we need not say more on that head. Carbon, whether 
in the form of a diamond, or that of charred wood, is 
practically indestructible. As a paint it is not only 
very durable, but withstands heat and cold, storm or 
shine, better than any other pigment we use. But 
it is not faultless; it isa poor drier, hence we are apt 
to over-dose it with japan driers. By adding some 
Prussian blue to it the self-drying quality is greatly 
improved or helped. 

. Natural gas lampblack, if free from minerals and 
unburned oil, and having a good color, is a very de- 
sirable black pigment. 

For tinting purposes it is thought by some that 
lampblack adulterated as much as 50 per cent. will 
give better satisfaction than a pure form. The price, 
however, would likely be that charged for the pure 
article. 


CHAPTER III 


THE WHITE PIGMENTS USED IN PAINTING. 
INERT PIGMENTS. THEIR QUALITIES 
AND USES IN PAINTS 


The chief or most important pigment used in 
painting is white lead, with zinc white a close second. 
But as there are other forms of white lead we must 
use terms of paint chemistry. Hence we shall call 
the white lead we now have in mind, that form most 
generally used, basic lead carbonate, or corroded lead. 
It is produced in various ways, but the old Dutch 
method is the best. It should be very finely powdered 
when dry, white, and cover well. If it has a yellow 
tinge it has been over-heated in grinding. If of a 
pink cast, it contains some red lead. If grayish, it 
contains uncorroded lead. 

What is called the quick process lead is made by 
spraying finely powdered lead with an acid, and such 
lead is very satisfactory, though most will say that 
it is inferior to the Dutch process lead. It is very 
fine and white, and covers well, hence should be quite 
satisfactory. 

Sublimed lead is technically known as basic lead 
sulphate. Briefly, it is lead ore containing some zinc 

24 


The Expert Paint Mixer 25 


which cannot be entirely removed. About 10 per 
cent. of the zinc remains in the white lead product, 
and about go per cent. lead sulphate. Efforts have 
been made to gain popularity for this form of lead 
pigment, but as it has no advantages over basic car- 
bonate of lead, and no lower in price, there would 
seem to be little reason why people should prefer it. 
Its texture is harsh, it is not elastic as white lead 
proper is, it has poor covering power, flows badly 
under the brush, and does not yield a smooth surface 
in painting. It is said that the addition of a small 
percentage of whiting will improve its texture, which 
is no doubt true. Some say that it lacks body, and 
also that it becomes brittle and cracks. 

For lead sulphate as a pigment it may be said 
that it is non-poisonous, and that under the influence 
of sulphur gases it will not darken, as lead carbonate 
does. 

Another white, similar to lead sulphate or sublimed 
lead, is known as zinc lead; it is composed of equal 
parts of lead sulphate and zinc oxide. It is made from 
ore containing lead and zinc. It is made in the same 
manner as sublimed lead. You will hardly meet with . 
it excepting in ready mixed paints. It has a good 
body, but does not work well under the brush, and 
its texture is even harsher than that of sublimed lead. 
Also, it is poor of color. Strangely, it carries about 
20 per cent. more oil than either white lead or sub- 


26 The Expert Paint Mixer 


limed lead, and as the ability to take up oil is a very 
useful feature, it would seem that zinc lead should not 
be without merit. But paint made from it and used 
on outside work is very liable to crack. 

As lead sulphate lacks covering power, paint mak- 
ers add a little borax to it, to overcome this fault. 

Whiting is a very useful substance in painting work. 
As a putty for glazing windows it is well known for 
its tenacity and hardness; when well made, from raw 
linseed oil, it resists the weather for many years. Yet, 
as a paint base, it is of little value. Whiting is chalk, 
a form of lime, hence is not an inert pigment as often 
classed, for its lime content acts upon the oil and 
lead, when mixed therewith to form a soap, making 
a paint poor in durability. As a putty, as previously 
noted, this action does not occur apparently, for the 
composition is durable. Again, when a portion of 
whiting is used in oil paint, with lead as the base, we 
find that it has worn well, showing great durability. 
What then shall we conclude? Theoretically a whit- 
ing oil paint, with lead as the base, should deteriorate 
on account of the soap-making power of the whiting. 


In practise we have found that such is not the case. 


But there are exceptions, and these must form the 
rule. 

Whiting, in chemistry, is calcium carbonate, or car- 
bonate of lime. It is made from the chalk rock. The 
finer the grade the bulkier, or the less in weight for a 


e _— ee ee ee = 


The Expert Paint Mixer oF 


certain amount. Take a gallon of precipitated chalk, 
the finest form of whiting, and weigh it; it will weigh 
nearly 3 lbs., while a gallon of ordinary so-called 
gilders’ whiting, the kind mostly used and a very 
good grade, too, will weigh nearly twice as much. 
Paris white is even heavier than this, or about 7 lbs. 

Whiting is used extensively for making calcimine 
or water paint. While it seems very dark in bulk, 
yet when mixed with water and white glue and applied 
to the walls it seems very white. The addition of a 
little blue will make it appear still whiter. Take a 
small sample of dry white lead and one of dry whiting, 
place them side by side, and you will note the differ- 
ence of color and texture. Place here also a little pile 
of dry finely ground silica and one of fine barytes, and 
these will look very much alike; the barytes and 
white lead particularly. But add a little raw linseed 
oil to each pile, and mix it a little: Then note the 
difference. The white lead remains white, so would 
zinc white if tried in the same manner. But the 
others will appear very gray, and the demonstration 
will especially show up the barytes, which has been 
a much-used adulterant for all forms of ‘color and 
paint bases, especially lead. Its bulk and weight 
approximates that of white lead, and it therefore 
served admirably to extend the costlier lead. This 
leads us to say that when not used as an adulterant 
the barytes serves as a very useful ingredient in the 


28 The Expert Paint Mixer 


making of a white lead oil paint. This matter will 
be treated at length in another place. 

Barytes or baryta, of which we have been talking, 
is very fine of texture, quite white or without color, 
and is inert, or without reaction when mixed with 
other paint ingredients. It takes stains well, and is 
a useful extender for pigments, causing them to cover 
more surface than they would if used in the natural 
state. Thus, most of the pigments used in painting 
may be extended one-half or more with baryta and 
pass for the pure thing. Then too it is useful when 
it is desired to carry certain organic coloring matter, 
such as rose pink, for instance. 

Inert pigments are those which, mixed with oil to 
form a paint, either alone or in connection with other 
pigments, do not act chemically upon those other sub- 
stances. They are neutral or inert. When lead, zinc, 
chrome yellow, Prussian blue, etc., are mixed with 
linseed oil a chemical union takes place, and chemical 
reactions occur between the oil and the pigment, 
which of course is injurious to the paint. When the 
earth or mineral pigments, such as ochre, umber, etc., 
are mixed with the oil, there is a purely mechanical 
union and no reaction; it is just like mixing sand and 
water together. In addition to sienna, ochre, umber, 
iron oxide, Venetian red, etc., as neutral pigments, 
there are also baryta, silica, terra alba, gypsum, soap- 
stone or steatite and feldspar. Whiting is sometimes 


The Expert Paint Mixer 29 


listed as a neutral, but as its alkaline nature causes it 
to act upon oil it can hardly be placed in this category. 

What occurs when we mix chemically active pig- 
ments and neutral pigments together to form a paint? 
Just what might naturally be expected, there will be 
a greatly diminished chemical reaction. Hardly any 
at all. As an extender gypsum is perhaps the best to 
use, it is inert, of low specific gravity, is easily ground 
with other pigments, and does not settle very much 
in the paint pot. Its weak point is that when water 
gets to it the paint is apt to liver up. To explain 
this term, the paint, setting for some hours, say over 
night, will become thick, like stiff jelly. 

Now we come to zinc white, a neutral or chemically 
inactive pigment or base that is white lead’s rival. It 
is not poisonous; you perhaps have used zinc oint- 
ment, a mixture of zinc oxide and petroleum jelly. 
In France the use of white lead in painting is not 
permitted. But the danger from using white lead 
paint is much exaggerated. The writer does not con- 
sider that there is any danger at all, unless it be in 
the vehicle paint shop, and not there if the workman 
will be careful. Zinc white has many merits as a paint 
base, but it also possesses some serious faults too. Its 
virtues are, that it is not poisonous; it is a very white 
pigment, so that when we wish to make an extra 
good white job we make the last coat or two entirely 
of zinc. Its faults are, that alone as a paint it scales 


30 The Expert Paint Mixer 


or cracks. It is a hard metal, not elastic like lead, 
hence cannot contract and expand and so escape 
deterioration. It is bulkier than lead, carries far 
more oil, hence spreads differently, and one not know- 
ing how to use it would say that its covering power 
was poor; whereas, it needs only to be rubbed out 
less, and pound for pound will then do about as well 
as white lead. 

It should be added here, as it was not told under 
the proper head, that white lead paint has the serious 
fault of chalking, the result of chemical action, the 
forming of a soap of lead. Now, if you will add some 
zinc white to the lead, say any amount from 1o lbs. 
to 50 lbs. to the hundredweight of white lead, ac- 
cording to climate or location, as at seashore or in- 
land, the brittle zinc white will modify the soapy 
white lead and harden it, so that it will not wash 
away by chalking. In other words, the fault of one 
corrects the fault of the other. Lead is soft, zinc is 
hard. To still further help matters add some inert 
substance of a different sort from zinc white, and 
barytes answers the purpose very well. In this way 
is obtained a paint for exterior work that some think 
ideal. 

There are two methods of making zinc white, that 
known as the French process, and the other that called 
the American process. The best “French process” 
zinc white is made in America, and this process con- 


| 
| 
: 
: 


The Expert Paint Mixer 31 


sists in preparing it from the pure zinc metal called 
spelter. The so-called American method is to treat 
the lead ore direct. Of course the French zinc white 
is the best, it is whiter and finer of texture. For finer 
work use the best French, but for ordinary exterior 
painting the other kind does well. Some brands of 
zinc white contain a small percentage of lead sulphate, 
but this is not considered to injure a paint containing 
it, either for inside or outside work. 

Chinese white, sold in tubes for artists’ use, is the 
French zinc under another name. Cremnitz white is 
the selected white lead ground in damar varnish. 
Florence white is French process zinc white, ground 
in damar varnish, and used for doing enamelled 
woodwork. | 

We come now to a remarkable white pigment that 
is being used extensively for making flat wall paint. 
It is called lithopone. It is a zinc sulphide white, 
looks like zinc white, but has a heavier gravity. It 
does not take up oil as largely as zinc white does. It 
covers well, spreads well under the brush, is not 
affected by sulphur or other gases. It is a permanent 
pigment of itself, but is mixed with other pigments 
which change its character in this regard. The best 
grade of lithopone that is to be used as a paint is 
the Green Seal, which is made up of 30 per cent. zinc 
sulphide, 2 per cent. of zinc oxide, and 68 per cent. 
of barytes. If you will drop a little diluted hydro- 


32 The Expert Paint Mixer 


chloric acid on lithopone there will be the odor of a 
burning match, indicating sulphuretted hydrogen. It 
will also effervesce. Lithopone paint mffst not be used 
in connection with white lead paint; that is to say, 
it will not do to apply a coating of lithopone over a 
coating of white lead. 

We have now passed in review the various white 
pigments, in order to get acquainted with their re- 
spective qualities. For it is important to know the 
substances that you have to do with in the mixing 
of paints and colors. It is unfortunate that so many 
painters know very little about the nature and origin 
of these things. This is why they cannot mix colors 
or colored paints successfully. They may be excellent 
brush hands, but poor mixers, because they have had 
no experience in mixing and do not understand the 
pigments they would use. 


CHAPTER IV 


DESCRIPTION OF WHITE LEAD AND ZINC 
OXIDE 


Brief accounts of these two important paint bases 
were given in the preceding chapter, but it is neces- 
sary to present a more elaborate account in order to 
give the interested reader working data from which 
to make up his paints. The painter sometimes has 
trouble with his white lead or zinc white paint, and 
he cannot get at the cause, owing to lack of knowl- 
edge concerning the nature of the pigment. To him, 
white lead is white lead. He does not know that 
there are several forms of white lead, some fit for his 
purposes, some not fit—some good, some bad. The 
paint chemist will tell you that ‘‘good white lead will 
not differ materially in its composition by whatever 
process it is made, but may differ seriously in its phys- 
ical character, and in its fitness to produce a sub- 
stance adapted to the uses to which white lead is 
applied.” So it is necessary to explain this enigma. 
Good white lead may be a compound of two kinds, 
one containing two molecules of carbonate of lead, 
the other three molecules. Or, one part of hydrate of 

3 33 


en 


34 The Expert Paint Mixer 


lead and two parts of carbonate of lead; and one 
part of hydrate and three parts of carbonate of lead. 
The latter is in the proportion of 75 per cent. car- 
bonate and 25 per cent. hydrate of lead. The latter 
is generally accepted as the correct formula for a good 
white lead. All of which has no meaning for the lay- 
man, so we must explain further. The hydrate of 
lead and the linseed oil in which it is ground unite 
to form a varnish; it is transparent and has no cover- 
ing power. But the lead carbonate and oil unite to 
form an opaque compound having neither body nor 
covering capacity. In this compound the white solid 
carbonate is held in feeble mechanical suspension. So 
it is plain to see that neither of these combinations 
serve as a good paint. What then? Unite the two 
and you get the best paint material possible. You get 
the perfectly formed white lead. Now, if there should 
occur any variation in the proportions of hydrate and 
carbonate as given the white lead will not prove satis- 
factory. You will have trouble in the using of it. 
Regarding processes of manufacture, we have just 
read that ‘‘good white lead will not differ materially in 
its composition by whatever process it is made.” 
That is to say, it will be white lead or basic lead 
carbonate. But all “good leads” on the market are 
not equally satisfactory in some respects. In the 
nature of the case, it must be so, for no white lead 
is manufactured in an ideal way; that has yet to be 


The Expert Paint Mixer 35 


discovered. But given a white lead worthy of being 
called good, and therewith we must be content. 

The best white lead will be found of very fine tex- 
ture, smooth, and white, without trace of color. 
Whiteness indicates perfect corrosion and absence of 
impurities and discolorations. If your lead has a 
blue cast, it has been blued to make it appear whiter 
than it really is. If the white lead shows a yellow 
tint, it has been burnt in the grinding, or foreign 
matter is present; in either case the lead shows poor 
manufacture. To grind white lead to the utmost 
fineness requires the maximum of time and increased 
wear and tear of the machinery. Also, it lessens out- 
put and takes more oil. By grinding it rather coarse 
the grinder saves money, but loses in reputation. 
You will always find such lead as this very thin. 
Properly ground, the lead will be stiff. 

But the lead must not be too finely ground, for 
that may cause a grayish cast of the lead. And if too 
closely ground the mill will overheat and the lead 
produced will lack body, on account of saponification 
of the oil and lead. 

White lead will differ in quality according to the 
metal lead used. A metal lead containing more than 
a mere trace of foreign metals will not make good white 
lead. In close association with lead we find copper, 
iron, zinc, and some other metals, but not an ounce of 
silvefto the ton of lead, according to the chemist. 


36 The Expert Paint Mixer 


White lead is easily adulterated, but adulteration 
is not common as once it was. Some years ago some 
samples of ‘‘white lead” were tested and found to 
contain not even a trace of white lead. Such a com- 
pound would fail to deceive any practised painter. 
The most favored adulterant would be barytes, be- 
cause it resembles white lead in gravity. If whiting 
were used the adulteration would be more evident, 
and the same with any other white pigment of low 
specific gravity. However, such adulterated leads 
are commonly branded as compound leads, not pure 
white lead. For some uses, and when the price is 
correspondingly low, compound leads have their legiti- 
mate place in the paint shop, as we shall see later on. 

What is known as pulp lead is white lead ground in 
water, instead of oil. Such pulp weighs from 12 to 20 
Ibs. to the gallon; linseed oil is added to the pulp 
lead and the mass is churned as cream is churned, 
in order to form a union of the oil and water and lead. 
In a short time the lead and oil and some of the 
water unite and fall to the bottom of the churn, the 
free water rising to the top, being then drawn off. 
The resultant white lead, or pulp lead as it is called, 
is packed in kegs, just as ordinary white lead is, and 
is sold as white lead. It is white lead, true, but you 
will not buy it in preference to the carbonate of lead 
ground in oil. Few painters like it. None, probably. 
Because of the water in it, maybe. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 27 


Taking pure lead carbonate, or as we would say, 
the best white lead in oil, and thinning it up to the 
proper consistency with linseed oil, thus overcoming 
its chemical reaction, we shall find that it covers the 
surface that we wish it to cover, with satisfaction; it 
will prove opaque and white, unless we should add 
coloring to it. It will prove stable in pure air, as well 
as white if used without color; in fact, white lead 
paint uncolored, on exterior work, getting the benefit 
of the sunshine, will become whiter with time, owing 
to the bleaching out of the yellow linseed oil. But 
it is liable to deteriorate under the influence of im- 
pure air, becoming dark or of a dingy brown where 
sulphurous gases come in contact with it. For this 
reason white exterior paint will not do where there 
is much coal gas, nor about horse stables. In such 
cases the lead paint had better be colored. The 
action of gas upon white lead paint is to produce lead 
sulphide, which is dark. And when white lead oil 
paint is used where there is insufficient sunlight, as in 
dark rooms, the paint will become discolored, turning 
to a dirty yellow. Paint a board with white lead in 
oil and place it in a dark place for some time, or 
until it becomes quite dark, then place it where it can 
have the sunshine and air every day for a period, 
and the paint will return to its original whiteness, or 
approximately so. The fact is due to the chemical 
action that has taken place; the black lead sulphide, 


38 The Expert Paint Mixer 


under the influence of sun and air, has been oxidized 
to lead sulphate. From which you may see how very 
interesting is the chemistry of paint. Another thing, 
if you should add too great a quantity of driers to 
exterior white paint it will turn yellow or light brown, 
because the action of driers on the oil is like the action 
of the overheated rolls that grind the white lead, it is 
burnt. As raw linseed oil and white lead too are self- 
driers, to a large extent, the paint formed from the 
two needs very little assistance in the drying, for in 
addition they have the oxygen of the air to aid them, 
and this indeed is what does cause the drying of the 
paint, the taking up of the oxygen by the oxygen car- 
riers of the mass. 

It is better to use white lead that has been made 
for some time, rather than that which is rather fresh. 
It is more economical, as the fresh is very much 
thinner than that which has stood for some time, 
whether in wood or metal; if in wood, then the wood 
has absorbed most of the oil; if in metal, the oil has 
risen to the top, leaving the solids beneath. When 
the writer was apprentice imported English white 
lead was considered to be the best form of that pig- 
ment; it went farther, as the saying is, and was 
economical to use on that account. But in all other 
respects it was no better than American lead that had 
some age. 

In another place we shall have something further 


The Expert Paint Mixer 39 


to say about white lead, especially about some of its 
faults, for to correct these faults is a part of the paint 
mixer’s work; to know what causes the faults is a 
part of his education. Some believe that the white 
lead made now is inferior to that produced years ago, 
but this is not true. In fact, some lead corroders 
have been making white lead for upwards of a cen- 
tury in this country, and making it just as they always 
made it. But the oil we use with it may not be as 
good as formerly. 

We will now take up zinc white, or zinc oxide. 
For it is an oxide, not a carbonate like white lead. 
It is an axiom that all oxide pigments are more dur- 
able than carbonates. To prove this attention is 
called to oxide of iron paint, certainly a durable pig- 
ment. However, that point need not be discussed 
here. Zinc oxide paint is very stable, acid and gas 
resistant, but lacks elasticity, hence is apt to crack 
and peel. Being an artificial product, its composition 
varies. A cheap grade may contain some lead com- 
pounds, such as sulphates or oxides, and possibly zinc 
sulphate, the latter very objectionable, as it is liable 
to cause streaking of the paint after application, owing 
to its being soluble in water. Zinc oxide, however, is 
seldom adulterated. Yet there are differences of 
quality that one must look out for when selecting 
this pigment. The principal points of a good zinc 
oxide pigment are similar or even like those that we 


40 The Expert Paint Mixer 


have used in reference to white lead. It should have 
good color, white, it should be finely ground, it should 
be opaque, covering well, and should, finally, mix 
easily with thinners. If the sample looks rather blue, 
then blue has been added to hide the grayness of the 
zinc. Hence, if the zinc oxide looks blue, not pure 
white, reject it. Poor grades of zinc white lack opacity, 
they do not cover well. And if barytes has been added 
the fault will be worse for it. But let us note here 
that certain zinc pigments contain barium sulphate, 
as an essential ingredient. Barium sulphate differs 
from the native barytes in its physical properties, so 
that the presence of barium sulphate in a white zinc 
oxide paint is not evidence of adulteration; it is 
simply evidence that it forms a different paint, a zinc 
sulphide paint; sulphide zinc should contain not less 
than 30 per cent. of true zinc sulphide. 

It is difficult to grind zinc oxide in oil, and it is not 
uncommon for the grinder to add some pale boiled 
oil, or a thickened boiled oil, to make the product 
appear smooth and finely ground. Take it and thin 
up with turpentine and apply some of it to a piece 
of clean glass, using a soft hair brush. Note the result. 

You may find that thinning zinc white is more or 
less difficult, and that the paint will appear stringy 
and ropey. A good zinc oxide will be as easy to thin 
for using as white lead will. What the grinder should 
grind his zinc white in is refined linseed oil only. Zinc 


The Expert Paint Mixer AI 


paints should not be ground too stiff, as this is apt 
to cause overheating of the rollers of the mill, and 
we have already seen what that means. Burning the 
product means ruining it for paint purposes. 

In the proper place we shall have much to say 
about zinc oxide paint, about its mixing and applica- 
tion. In the present chapter attention has been di- 
rected to the nature and properties of this useful and 
even indispensable pigment. 


CHAPTER V 


LINSEED OIL, ITS MANUFACTURE AND 
MERITS 


The seeds from the lint or flax plant furnish us with 
an oil that, for painting purposes at least, no other 
known oil can rival. It is true that there are a few 
other vegetable oils that can be used in paint, but such 
oils are either impossible owing to impossibility to pro-- 
duce on a large scale, or too costly to be practicable. 
Nor does any commercial oil other than linseed oil 
possess the desired properties in a sufficiently high de- 
gree to make it a desirable substitute for the linseed 
oil. 

No other oil that may be added to paint will give 
so hard, tough, elastic and durable a film as this peer- 
less fluid. Certainly not in as brief a period after appli- 
cation of the paint. Raw linseed oil has good body, 
flows well under the brush, and spreads well. Its good 
body enables it to hold up the pigment incorporated 
with it, and gives a paint that is uniform of color and 
appearance; such a paint will not run nor become 
streaky. And after the paint has become dry the film 
will not crack or deteriorate in any way, provided the 
paint has been properly made and applied. The odor 

42 


The Expert Paint Mixer 43 


of this oil is pleasant, its taste is agreeable, it with- 
stands sun and weather well. 

Just a word concerning the making of linseed oil. 
Formerly the seeds were crushed and ground to a 
pulp; then the mass was placed in a cold press and 
great pressure was brought to bear upon it, the oil 
running out into a vessel. Very simple, and excellent 
too. This oil contained very little mucilaginous mat- 
ter, technically known as foots. It was quite light as 
to color, or pale, and it could be used at once if it was 
so desired. But all the oil in the seeds was not ob- 
tained; considerable remained, and the cake was sold 
for cattle feed. It is not likely that any cold-process 
linseed oil is being made. The area adapted to flax 
culture has become greatly circumscribed during the 
past few years; the ground best adapted to its culture 
is virgin soil, but virgin soil is hard to find now on this 
continent at least. Yet considerable flax is still being 
raised here, in the far west, or where land or soil is 
available. The very high price of flaxseed stimulates 
its culture on a large scale, within the restricted areas. 
Probably more is raised now than formerly, but then 
the demand has been and continues to be great, more 
so than production keeps pace with. Considerable seed 
is imported. 

In order to extract the last vestige of oil in the seed 
heat must be employed, the ground seed is sort of 
cooked with steam, ‘and this breaks up the plant cells 


44 The Expert Paint Mixer 


and liberates the oil, besides not a little of the gum 
also. You cannot use this oil soon as it comes from 
the press, for it contains water and gummy matter, 
and these must first be removed by filtering and stor- 
age in tanks, besides undergoing various other pro- 
cesses. By this time the oil is pretty free from all un- 
desirable substances. But it should be stored quite a 
long time in order to produce a perfect oil. Good flax- 
seed is desirable in the making of the best oil, and all 
foreign seeds, of which there is usually too many, 
must be removed before crushing. It is here where 
careful manufacturing comes in; of which more fol- 
lows. 

Take raw linseed oil; it is the most used in house or 
structural painting. Raw oil is simply the oil as it 
comes from the press; it has not been altered excepting 
to remove its impurities. If you buy a barrel of this 
oil you will improve it by allowing it to remain in 
storage forsome time. For there is always more or less 
foots in the oil, no matter how carefully it has been 
made. Age improves the oil by the separation of the 
foots from the oil, and when the oil containing foots is 
used in paint the film of paint will remain soft or tacky. 
The kind of seed used in making the oil has much to 
do with the amount of foots. Calcutta seed gives an 
oil freer of foots than the seed from America and 
Canada. This statement should be modified; at pre- 
sent we are making an oil quite as good as the oil from 


The Expert Paint Mixer 45 


the Calcutta seed, using the native grown seed, but 
not all oil is thus made. 

Boiled oil is the raw oil with prepared driers and 
carefully boiled. The boiling alone would not result in 
the oil drying any sooner than the raw. Many painters 
think that the heat causes the oil to dry. It takes raw 
oil from 48 to 72 hours to dry, whereas the boiled oil 
will dry in from 7 to 12 hours, it is said by those com- 
petent to affirm. One thing the boiling surely does, 
and that is to set free all the mucilaginous matter in 
the oil, and that is very fine work. It you happen 
upon some alleged boiled oil and find foots in it, regard 
it with suspicion; it probably is bung-hole-boiled, or 
raw oil to which has been added a certain amount of 
driers. 

There are several kinds of boiled oil made, to meet 
the needs of paint makers, varnish makers, and so on. 
Refined oil is that which has been bleached out, being 
of a pale yellowish-white color. It is used in making 
certain white paints. It dries slowly, hence must be 
assisted by the addition of driers. Such an oil will 
find scant room in the ordinary paint shop. 

Linseed oil just now is a very costly paint ingredient. 
It never was so high in price before. For that reason 
linseed oil substitutes abound on the market, and oil 
adulteration isnot uncommon. The principal adulter- 
ants are mineral oils. Rosin oil also is used, and is very 
useful when a petroleum or mineral oil is used; the lat- 


46 The Expert Paint Mixer 


ter are of lower gravity than flaxseed oil, and to 
remedy this defect rosin oil, of higher gravity, is added 
to increase the specific gravity of the made-up oil. 

To do good painting you need to use pure linseed 
oil, as well as pure everything else that enters into the 
composition of the paint. But if you do not wish to 
do first-class work, then buy the ingredients and make 
your own dope; you will save money on it. 

How shall you tell whether your oil is pure or not? 
In the first place buy from a reputable dealer. You 
won’t get dope. Not though you ask for it. There is 
only one sure test, and that is up to the paint chemist. 
But there are several methods that anybody may use. 
First, there is the odor; no other oil has the odor that 
linseed oil has. Then there is the taste, which should 
be mild and sweetish. ‘Then we have the so-called 
spot test. Spread some of the oil on a clean piece of 
window glass, then with a glass dropper take some 
strong sulphuric acid and let a drop of it fall on the 
center part of the oil. In pure oil the acid will not 
spread, but will burn a hole in the oil about one-fourth 
inch diameter. But if the oil is not pure, the acid will 
cause a bloom to appear on the oil around the spot, or 
very fine lines will radiate from the spot. There are 
many more really simple tests, but those given should 
~ answer the purpose. 


CHAPTER VI 


TURPENTINE AND OTHER PAINT 
THINNERS 


As linseed oil surpasses all other oils for making an 
oil paint, so does spirits of turpentine excel all other 
fluids for thinning paint for interior uses. There was 
formerly just one form of turpentine spirits for the 
paint shop; now there are two kinds, though differing 
mainly in the source from whence the two are derived. 
One, the old-time spirits, is still made from the tur- 
pentine gum, the other being produced from the 
stumps and refuse wood of the trees that produced the 
gum. The first is known as gum spirits, the other as 
wood or stump spirits. Gum spirits thins out the paint 
satisfactorily, the paint does not act short under the 
brush, it assists the drying, prevents wrinkling, re- 
duces the tendency of the paint to become fatty or 
oxidized, works all right even on wet wood, for it 
mixes with water. It is not affected by extreme cold, 
and mixes well with all other paint oils and thinning 
fluids. One of its most valuable merits is its flatting 
quality. When we desire to produce a flat or lusterless 
effect in interior painting there is no other fluid that 
will give as perfect a result. Benzine comes the nearest 

47 


48 The Expert Paint Mixer 


to it, but paint works hard under a benzine thinner. 
It evaporates too rapidly. This is shown in the case 
of a varnish that has been made and thinned out with 
benzine; one can scarcely work his brush fast enough 
to get the varnish spread evenly. With turpentine it 
is different; while it also evaporates rather quickly, 
yet we are afforded ample time for doing a good job. 

Wood or stump turpentine or wood spirit, variously 
named, has the same diluting power that gum turpen- 
tine has, and its specific gravity and flash point are 
identical. But the odor from wood turpentine, par- 
ticularly that from knots and stumps, is very offensive, 
but this odor can be modified by redistilling, it is 
claimed. The redistilled spirit is water-white and is 
sold as pure commercial turpentine. The dry-distilled 
product has a very strong, pungent odor, and if kept 
in the dark for some time becomes deep yellow in color. 
The steam-distilled product has less odor than the 
dry distilled, is water white, and does not turn yellow 
so soon. It is quite satisfactory in place of the gum 
spirit. 

Owing to the growing scarcity of the timber from 
which turpentine comes this fluid has become very 
costly, and hence substitutes are in the field, with 
more or less recognition. The test for turpentine is 
simple enough, just pour a few drops on to a piece of 
white paper and let it remain some time before looking 
at it. Pure turpentine spirits will evaporate entirely, 


The Expert Paint Mixer 49 


leaving the paper white as before; you will not be able 
to tell where the grease spot was. And this test may 
be without loss of time, while you are mixing up some 
paint. Even when some of it is placed in a saucer it 
will evaporate entirely, leaving no trace that can be 
perceived. 

Judged by odor alone some of these substitutes will 
deceive you. Naphtha of a particular grade is used as 
the base in most of the substitutes; it is a water-white 
liquid, grading somewhere between kerosene oil and 
benzine; it is less oily than the former, and less 
volatile than the latter. To ‘‘improve”’ it the addition 
of some wood turpentine is practised by its manu- 
facturers, with a little pine oil and rosin spirit; by 
that time the product smells very like the real thing. 
Often, however, the pure petroleum distillate is sold 
as substitute. But this does not mix as well with paint 
or varnish as the “improved” fluid does, nor does it 
have a turpentine odor. There are different methods 
or formulas for making the substitutes; we have given 
one, and another is this: Equal parts of benzoline and 
rosin spirit and twice as much of turpentine. What is 
called Russian turpentine is a substitute based on 
Russian petroleum distillate, the Russian oil being 
greasier than the American, hence not so good for use 
in a substitute turpentine, nor for producing a lamp 
oil or kerosene. 

If you should come across the term, Camphorated 

4 


50 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Turpentine, know that it is simply real turpentine to 
which has been added some gum camphor, making a 
liquid that is useful in shellac varnish, to make it less 
brittle, also for use in enamel work on wood. 

Benzine is useful in the paint shop, but cannot take 
the place of turpentine. During the Civil War 
deodorized benzine was used in the absence of tur- 
pentine, but first-class painting, where a flat effect is 
desired, cannot be achieved with benzine. It does not 
leave a dead surface on the flatted paint; it leaves a 
slight gloss, according to the amount of oil in the paint. 
Also white paint flatted with it will turn yellow in 
time. There are objections to benzine as a paint and 
varnish diluent. It does not do well on wood contain- 
ing some moisture, for it will not mix with water. 
Owing to a high rate of evaporation it will not do in 
japanning and baking. If it is cold, near to the freez- 
ing point, and is added to varnish to thin it, it will 
cause precipitation of the gums in the varnish. Thus it 
will be seen that benzine is not adapted to either a hot 
or cold condition. 

What, then, is benzine useful for in the paint shop? 
If you simply wish to thin out a paint benzine will do it 
even better than turpentine, and it will do the paint 
no harm. It will evaporate entirely. Or, should you 
wish to make enamel paint flow and spread easier, 
benzine is the fluid. Turpentine would do it but it 
would not evaporate as benzine does, and the result 


The Expert Paint Mixer SI 


would be a thinner coating of the enamel paint than 
you desired; benzine would leave the coating as it 
found it. Benzine would not impair the gloss of the 
enamel finish; turpentine would. 

Benzine is a great solvent of oils; hence when used 
to thin out a paint it renders the paint soft after it has 
dried. Turpentine tends to make the paint film 
harder. 

Benzol or benzole belongs to the benzene class, and 
is a product of gas tar. There are two grades, one 
known as the go per cent. benzol, the other as the 50 
per cent. benzol. They differ in their chemical com- 
position, and for our use we would take the go per 
cent. fluid. Solvent naphtha is another name for 
benzol. It is water-white, volatile, and a perfect 
solvent for oils, fats, rubber, gum resins, etc. With 
acetone it forms a paint and varnish remover. Like tur- 
pentine it leaves no stain on paper nor residue after 
evaporation. It is very inflammable, hence must not 
be used in the presence of fire. It mixes freely with 
turpentine, benzine and linseed oil. Very frequently 
it may be used in place of turpentine. It is a satis- 
factory thinner for paint and varnish. But should not 
be used in paint excepting in the priming coat. It is 
a perfect solvent of rosin, hence in paints containing 
rosin oil it will prevent the granulation of the rosin. 

Kerosene or coal oil should never be used in paint, 
but it will give elasticity to varnish used in baking 


52 The Expert Paint Mixer 


enamelled objects, and also to paint, but it is not 
advised excepting in some rare cases, as where you find 
the enamel paint brushing out hard a little coal oil will 
cause it to flow out easily and freely. It is a non- 
drying oil, though with plenty of good manganese 
driers a paint thinned with it can be made to dry satis- 
factorily. Painting on damp wood with such a paint, 
drying would be impossible where the wood and paint 
came in contact. As all hydrocarbon oils evaporate, 
kerosene is no exception; in process of time 85 per cent. 
of it will evaporate. 

We have another peculiar thinning agent for paints 
and oils in tetrachloride or carbon tetrachloride. It is 
a good solvent, varnish makers finding it very useful 
in this respect. It will dissolve anything that benzine, 
turpentine and benzol will dissolve, some things that 
dissolve with difficulty in other solvents readily yield 
to this one. One of its most important features is that 
it is non-inflammable; you cannot set it afire. How- 
ever, as a paint or varnish thinner it is too costly. It 
should be added that it is used in cleaning clothing, 
removing stains. 

We mentioned rosin oil. There is a rosin spirit, pro- 
duced by the distillation of rosin. It is a solvent and 
thinner of paint or varnish, but its odor is bad and it 
has a poor color. Gloss oil or rosin oil is not an oil at 
all, but a thin sort of varnish, made from rosin dis- 
solved in benzine. It has little body, and sets very 


The Expert Paint Mixer 53 


rapidly, though this can be retarded by the Hansa 
of some petroleum spirit. 

Pine oil is distilled from pine and fir seeds, though 
oftener, especially as a commercial article, from pine 
wood and pitch. Its color is pale yellow and its odor 
is like dry distilled turpentine. 

Alcohol is most used for dissolving gum shellac. 
‘The best is that made from grain. Wood alcohol is 
distilled from wood. The former is ethyl and the lat- 
ter methyl alcohol. Wood alcohol is not safe to use 
in the painting trades. Denatured alcohol, which is 
simply grain alcohol containing ten per cent. of wood 
alcohol, so that it will not be used as a beverage, is 
safe and as efficient as the pure grain article. 

It will be useful to know how to distinguish the 
different solvents that have been named in this 
chapter. Each has its own peculiar characteristic and 
this enables us to distinguish them apart when we 
meet them. Pure spirits of turpentine has a pine odor 
that is rather mild and not at all offensive, and once 
used to it we are always able to tell it from its closest 
imitation. Wood turpentine has the pitch-pine smell, 
but in greater degree, the odor is rank and very 
offensive, so much so that most people will not allow 
a painter to use it in their house. Benzol has a coal 
tar odor that is offensive. Carbon tetrachloride 
smells like chloroform; both are non-inflammable. 
Coal oil or kerosene oil leaves a greasy spot on white 


54 The Expert Paint Mixer 


paper, and its odor is familiar and unlike any other 
petroleum product. Benzene has its own odor, and 
will hardly be mistaken for some other white thinning 
fluid. 

Efforts have been made to produce an oil to take 
the place of linseed oil, to some extent at least. We 
will describe the chief of these. They are still talking 
up soya bean oil as a paint oil. It can be used with 
linseed oil, but alone in paint it is not satisfactory. 
It is not a good drier, and a paint film produced by it 
will be lacking in toughness, being incapable of taking 
up oxygen from the air to the necessary extent. 

Cotton seed oil has been tried. It will not do. It is 
a non-drying oil. Even a very small quantity of it in 
paint will retard drying and give a sticky paint film. 

When corn oil was quite cheap there was some talk 
of it as a paint thinner; some paint and putty makers 
tried it, and without success. It is a slow drier and 
has a bad odor. 

Fish oil, produced by the menhaden fish, has one 
point at least in its favor, for it is useful in mixing 
paint for smoke stacks or other parts subject to con- 
siderable heat. ‘There are three grades of fish oil, 
crude, brown and bleached. The brown oil is some- 
times used in grinding dark paints, but the bleached 
oil is better, as it has less fish odor and can be used in 
light colored paints. Some experts regard fish oil as 
the best substitute for linseed oil that we have. It 


The Expert Paint Mixer 55 


dries about as well as linseed oil, and in paint forms 
a hard, waterproof film. 

China wood oil or, as it is known in China, Tung 
oil, has been used by the Chinese for centuries, for 
lacquering and waterproofing their river craft. It is 
a very peculiar oil, and so far our paint and varnish 
makers do not seem to have been able to adapt it 
successfully to the making of varnish or paint. Its 
greatest value would seem to lie in the direction of 
varnish making, as its very heavy body does not 
adapt it well for paint. It has its peculiarities. It 
dries more rapidly in wet weather than in dry. It 
dries very hard. One reason why it will not do in 
oil paint is that it causes the paint to dry flat, and 
where paint is used on exterior surfaces such flat fin- 
ish would not be desirable. When used in varnish it 
renders the varnish immune to acids, hot water, etc. 
But as yet such varnish has not been made to any 
extent. Much more might be told about this inter- 
esting oil, but this brief account must do. 

There are other oils, such as poppyseed and hemp- 
seed oil, that are good paint oils, and are used as 
such, but not in general painting; artists are the prin- 
cipal users, though poppyseed oil is useful and prac- 
ticable for grinding zinc white in. There is also sun- 
flower seed oil, which has some good points recom- 
mending it to the painter. However, linseed still 
continues to be our main reliance. 


CHAPTER VII 
DRYING AGENTS USED IN MIXING PAINTS 


Given a fair understanding of the drying qualities 
of the pigments and liquids used in producing mixed 
paints the painter will use specially made drying 
agents in a conservative manner. He will know that 
under certain conditions the paint will not require the 
assistance in drying that driers afford. That in some 
cases a very small quantity will answer the purpose, 
while in other cases it will be necessary to use a larger 
quantity. Some of the pigments that he will use 
have a great influence upon the drying quality of a 
paint. Others have little or no influence, while some 
retard the drying. It is very important to know 
these things. 

What is a drier? As you take down the can con- 
taining driers you see printed on the label, Driers, 
or perhaps Drying Japan, or still, perhaps, the label 
will contain some trade name, indicating a certain 
brand. There are two forms of paint drier, one made 
from linseed oil and some form of drying salts, such 
as salts of lead, or of manganese or cobalt. The other 
is made by substituting rosin for oil. The linseed oil 


or turpentine japan drier are to be preferred. Lin- 
56 


The Expert Paint Mixer iy: 


seed oil drier, after it has been boiled, has turpentine, 
or that and benzine added, to thin it out with. The 
turpentine drier is better than that containing some 
benzine. Turpentine adds to the drying quality of 
the drier, but benzine does not. 

In adding driers to mixed paint the tendency is to 
use far too much. It is a matter of hit or miss with 
most painters; mere guess-work. This is bad for the 
paint and for the reputation of the painter. There 
should be taken into consideration, when mixing 
paints, particularly for exterior use, the state of the 
weather, the climate, the season of year, and the kind 
of oil and pigment you are to use in compounding the 
paint. Temperature and humidity have a good deal 
to do with the drying of the paint. Humidity seems 
to have less influence than temperature. The higher 
the temperature the more rapid the drying. The 
lower the temperature the slower the drying. Paint 
dries better in summer than in winter, better in warm 
weather than in cold. And of course paint will dry 
somewhat better in dry than in wet weather. Then, 
there is the influence of the oil, base, and pigment. 
Linseed oil is a good self-drier, though of itself it will 
require two or three days to dry, hence needs assis- 
tance. White lead dries well, and yet needs a little 
help too. As to the pigments, some assist in drying 
very materially, umber being a good example of this 
class. On the other hand, there is lampblack, a very 


58 The Expert Paint Mixer 


poor drier, no drier at all when not mixed with some 
drying agent, such as linseed oil, etc. And even when 
mixed in linseed oil it dries very poorly, or not at all; 
here it is necessary to use driers liberally, in order to 
get the black dry in anything like a reasonable time. 
By adding some Prussian ‘blue to it the drying will be 
hastened. The blue will at the same time increase 
the apparent blackness of the lampblack. When 
umber is used in coloring a lead paint a very little 
amount of driers will be required, for umber is a 
strong drier itself. Chrome yellow is a good drier. 
So also Prussian blue. Vandyke brown and sienna 
are poor driers. Ochre needs driers, as it does not 
dry of itself. It seems that such poor drying pigments 
as lampblack and yellow ochre have a decided influ- 
ence on linseed oil, or on the absorption of oxygen by 
the oil, and this is hard to understand, because those 
pigments have no chemical effect at all on the oil. 
As the chemist would say, it is an exceedingly com- 
plex, and in some ways, an abstruse subject. All we 
know for sure is the simple fact, and all we can do is 
to use a good drier when using these pigments in paint 
making. 

Paradox though it may seem, when we add too 
much driers to a paint the effect is to hinder the dry- 
ing process. One might suppose that if some would 
do good, more would do more good, but it doesn’t. 
And the chemist explains the matter by saying that 


The Expert Paint Mixer 59 


if oxygen is absorbed too rapidly by the paint film a 
secondary chemical action takes place which prevents 
the normal formation of linoxin, and these actions 
result in a sticky, non-drying product. A precisely 
analogous phenomenon is observed when linseed oil 
is exposed to the air in bulk, the familiar substance 
known as oil gold-size being produced in this way. 
And oil gold-size is simply fat oil, so called, and which 
forms on the top of mixed oil paint that has been left 
to stand in the pot for some time. 

But let it be observed too that some driers are not 
efficient starters of the drying process, but once dry- 
ing has started they do their work well. New linseed 
oil, or oil containing much foots or albuminous matter, 
is apt to interfere with the proper drying of the paint. 
It may even entirely prevent the drying of the paint 
to a suitable hardness. Inasmuch as driers are used 
in very small quantities, it would seem well to pur- 
chase the very best. That is at least the only way to 
insure good results in the drying of an oil paint. It 
is considered a good drier that will dry raw oil at the 
rate of 1 to 20; one part of the drier to twenty parts 
of the oil. Such test should be made under average 
normal conditions. The oil should be dry to the 
touch in 12 hours. Now, if you have such a stan- 
dard drier, and some manufacturers claim this strength 
for their particular brands, it is easy to add just the 
proper amount to the paint, instead of guessing. 


60 The Expert Paint Mixer 


If you do not care to take the maker’s word for it 
you can test the driers for strength or drying power. 
Take one fluid ounce of the drier and add it to one 
quart of raw linseed oil; stir together well, then flow 
some of it on to a piece of clean glass, hold the glass 
upright, set it that way in a secure place, then note 
how long it takes in drying. But it is useless to try 
the drier by itself on the glass, as that would be no 
criterion as there is a certain drier, made for factory 
use, that is a strong drier of oil, yet will not dry of 
itself in many hours. 

It may be supposed that a cheap drier will be 
economical, as compared with a high grade and costlier 
one, but this is not so, as it may take much more of 
the cheap drier to do the same work that the best 
drier does. 

- Here is a simple test for driers. Attach a sheet of 
white paper to a piece of clear glass and lay the glass 
on a table. Place a little raw oil on the glass, and 
in the midst of the oil drop a very small amount of 
the drier. Incline the glass a trifle as the japan 
touches the oil, and watch the action of the drier. 
A good drier will unite at once with the oil; other- 
wise the drier is poor. Then stir the two together 
with a pin or other small article, and see whether 
the drier curdles the oil. A good drier will not curdle 
the oil. Another simple test is to place some driers . 
on glass and let it dry for 36 hours, or until it is 


The Expert Paint Mixer 61 


quite dry. Then scratch it with a knife or the finger 
nail. If it comes off easily in scales, it is poor. If it 
seems gummy, it indicates a slow but sure drier, but 
one that is not very strong. If the drier shows fine 
cracks on the glass after drying hard it is too brittle. 
The odor of a drier is not a test, only that when it 
smells of benzine it is not a first-class article, a good 
drier giving the odor of turpentine. Color has some- 
thing to do with a drier’s drying quality; that is, a 
drier that is pale or very light in color, sometimes 
called white driers, is not as strong as a darker drier, 
because the more a drier is cooked in the making the 
stronger it is, and also the darker. The increased heat 
darkens a drier. For exterior paint an oil drier is best, 
one that does not contain any gums, rosin, etc., which 
cause cracking of the paint, not being elastic enough. 
For quick drying of paint you need what is called japan 
driers; flat or semi-flat paint should have a quick drier. 

Paste or patent driers consist of a base, usually 
barytes and white lead, with zinc sulphate and lead 
acetate, made to a paste with boiled linseed oil. This 
form of drier is intended for fine white painting, in- 
terior. A formula for making this drier follows: Mix 
to a paste two parts each of pure white lead or zinc 
white, zinc sulphate and lead acetate (sugar of lead). 
This form of drier may be used with dark paint, but 
in this case replace the white lead with barytes or 
terra alba. 


62 The Expert Paint Mixer 


It will be worth while now to take up the methods 
of making the various forms of paint drying liquids, 
for the more we know about their composition the 
better fitted we shall be to use the liquids. 

The term “lightning drier” means that it is an 
unusually rapid drier of paint. It is not fit to use in 
exterior paint. It is cheap as regards selling price, 
but not economical, excepting for uses outside of 
house painting. One kind, made with gums, dried in 
30 minutes; one made without gums dried in two 
hours. The samples were tested on glass. They 
were benzine mixtures. 

Litharge drier is very powerful, and red lead is 
even more so. Both need to be used sparingly as 
driers, about 4 parts to 4ooo parts of oil. Years ago 
litharge was the only drying agent used in colored 
paint; for white or light tints the patent drier men- 
tioned was used. 

There are many factory formulas for making driers, 
as may be supposed, each maker having his own 
favorite process, though in the main all may be very 
much alike. That is to say, the different grades may 
be similar, proportions of ingredients and the ingre- 
dients themselves may vary a little. Quite a number 
of substances may be used, as the following list will 
show; Gum shellac, litharge, burnt umber, red lead, 
lead acetate, raw umber, zinc sulphate, Kauri gum, 
rosin, black and red manganese oxides, lime, borate of 


The Expert Paint Mixer 63 


manganese; and of liquids, linseed oil, turpentine, ben- 
zine, and petroleum oil. 

Manganese is a good drier and is much used in mak- 
ing driers and drying-oils. A strange quality of this 
mineral must be noted here; when it has been used 
once in the making of drying oil, which means raw 
oil and manganese boiled together, and is used for 
another batch of oil, it proves stronger than when 
first used. Ido not know why. Manganese is apt to 
give white paint a pinkish cast, hence it is best to use a 
combination of lead and manganese. 

While turpentine is considered the best liquid in con- 
nection with linseed oil in the making of a paint drier, 
yet the Government does not require it in their speci- 
fications for navy work. They require a high-grade 
hydrocarbon thinner, and it appears that no difference 
can be perceived between the turpentine and hydro- 
carbon (petroleum product) thinners. But they will 
reject any driers containing rosin. Our Government 
is very careful in its specifications for driers. 


CHAPTER VIII 
PAINT MIXING, INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR 


Paint for structural work may be divided in two 
classes, that for interior use, and that for exterior use. 
While interior paint is seldom or never used for out- 
side work, exterior paint is often used for interior work. 
Where interior work is to be done in white it is nec- 
essary to use a white base thinned with turpentine, or 
as in some cases, with both oil and turpentine, the pro- 
portion of oil depending on the character of the work. 
The reason for this is, that turpentine preserves the 
white color of the paint, oil causing white paint, par- 
ticularly on inside work, to yellow with age. This 
does not occur with white paint used on exterior work, 
for there the sun and air bleach the oil and the white 
paint usually becomes whiter with age. But when it is 
desired to use a colored paint on interior work an oil- 
thinned paint, with just a little turpentine to harden 
it, may be used, for it will not yellow on account of the 
darker color of the paint hiding any color change of the 
oil. Of course colored inside paint may be thinned 
with all turpentine, as white paint is, if a flat finish 
is desired. 


We will take up the mixing of paint for exterior 
64 


The Expert Paint Mixer 65 


work, remembering that the term exterior paint em- 
braces quite a variety of mixtures, each having a 
specific use, a use that no other particular mixture can 
replace, not as a rule at any rate, and it is always best 
to compound a paint with a view to its adaptation to 
the work in hand. Thus, the paint intended for a 
metal roof could also be used in painting certain other 
kinds of work, but not so well. It is often urged 
against ready mixed or so-called store paints that they 
are intended to be used for several kinds of work 
equally well, and the claim is not a sound one. Taking, 
say a new building, and there will be the first or prim- 
ing coat, consisting of white lead made quite thin with 
oil; white or colored. Now, to say that a thinned out 
ready mixed paint will answer for this priming coat 
is not tenable. First, it will contain too much driers, 
and a priming coat on wood, particularly on wood hav- 
ing a rather hard surface, should contain little driers, 
which tend to obstruct the sinking in of the paint, by 
causing it to begin drying too soon. Ready made 
paints usually contain much driers, more than is good 
for the paint. This because the paint is supposed to 
meet with various climatic conditions and to be used 
in the different seasons, winter and summer, spring 
and fall, wet and dry weather, hot and cold. It is 
obvious that too much driers will cause a paint to burn 
out in hot weather or in warm climates. And in such 
cases very little driers are required, in some instances 
5 


66 The Expert Paint Mixer 


none at all. But in order to meet different conditions, 
dampness or cold, the excess of driers meets the case 
well. 

In former days there was but one kind of wood used 
in building, select white pine. This is an ideal wood for 
the purpose, taking paint well and not doing the paint 
any subsequent injury, as some other woods do. To- 
day we have many kinds of wood to deal with in paint- 
ing. And not one of them ideal either; far from it. 
It makes the preparation of paint a difficult problem, 
each wood requiring its own particular kind of paint. 
But this matter will be taken up in another place. 

To mix a pot of paint seems a simple operation, 
and it is when you know how, but as in all other 
forms of mechanical work there is a right and wrong 
way to doit. First we shall have to open up the keg 
of lead. When lead came in wooden containers much 
of the lead’s oil had been absorbed by the wood, and 
this was considered to improve the lead. If the keg 
had been in stock for a long time the lead would be 
quite hard. Now that lead is put up in metal con- 
tainers all the oil remains, not in the lead, unless 
fresh, but on top, and this can be removed if so de- 
sired. To prevent the formation of dried lead on the 
top, and which will form even though the oil is there, 
the lead makers place a disk of thick tough paper 
there, and this very nearly prevents all such dry lead. 
What is left should be carefully lifted out into another 


The Expert Paint Mixer 67 


vessel so that the paint you are to mix may be clear 
of lumps and bits of dry lead. Now, before taking 
out any lead and placing it in your paint pot, first 
take a paddle and press the lead away from around 
the sides of the keg, and so work the whole into a 
smooth plastic compound; then remove what you 
need of it into the paint pot, scrape and clean down 
the sides of the lead can and carefully smooth over 
the top of the lead, and a little oil on top of that, 
with replacing of the paper disk, will leave the lead 
in nice shape for the next time. About eight pounds 
of lead will suffice for making a pot of ordinary paint; 
but, as the primer is thin, half of that quantity may 
do. But this is not important, the usual practise 
being to place into the pot about what you think will 
suffice, without weighing. A beginner, however, 
would find it more satisfactory to weigh out the lead 
and measure oil and thinners generally. It should be 
said here that before placing lead in the paint pot it 
would be better to put a little oil in it, so that the 
lead will not adhere to the bottom, making it more 
difficult to mix. To thin up the lead add a little oil 
and mix with the paint paddle to a smooth, buttery 
mass; then add some more oil, stir as before, and so 
on until you get the lead sufficiently smooth and 
thinned. If you are going to use the paint as soon as 
mixed, add some driers, say a tablespoonful to the pot 
of paint. The amount of driers will depend upon the 


68 The Expert Paint Mixer 


weather, the kind and condition of the wood or sur- 
face to be painted, and also upon what colors you 
incorporate with the paint. Having adopted a cer- 
tain good brand of driers you will in time get to know 
just how strong it is and how much to use. 

If the paint is not to be used at once, or for some 
time, then omit the driers, which will tend to make 
the paint more or less fatty, according to the time it 
stands before using. Fatty paint means that the oil 
has become more or less oxidized, and in this condition 
paint is apt to blister under exposure to the sun. It 
is a non-drying oil varnish, in fact. Another item, 
the paint will improve if kept two or three days before 
using; it becomes ripened, if we may be allowed to 
so call it. It wears better than fresh made paint, and 
seems to go farther and spread better under the brush. 

If the paint is to be colored, then add color while 
the lead is in the stiff paste form, after you have 
stirred it to that condition. The reason for this is, 
that the color is usually lighter in gravity than lead, 
and hence would bob around on top of the mixed 
lead, like a cork, and so prove a bother. Lampblack 
is particularly bad in this respect. But when the color 
is added to the stiff batter of lead the lead serves in 
facilitating the mixing. Some colors would be better 
to be mixed separately, either in some of the lead 
paint, or in turpentine, depending upon the kind of 
pigment, before adding to the white lead. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 69 


Metal paint paddles are now made, with perfora- 
tions in them, but there is nothing better than the 
hand-made wooden paddle. This should be made of 
soft wood, white pine being ideal, about four inches 
thick, about 17 inches long, two and one-half inches 
wide at the mixing end, and about an inch at the 
handle end. The edges should be rounded off, and 
the broad end chiseled. Several of these paddles 
should be kept on hand, as it is better than having 
one for mixing all kinds or colors of paint. 

All paint is the better for being strained after mix- 
ing; doubled cheesecloth, say a small salt bag, will 
do, though a paint strainer with copper strainer is 
useful. The cheesecloth will strain the paint finer 
than the wire strainer will. Stretch it across the 
paint pot, using a piece of twine or string, and when 
done with it place it in a can of water, for the next 
time. Have one cloth for colored paint, another for 
white and very light tints. To assist the paint through 
the strainer use a sash tool or other small stiff brush, 
and remove strainings with a putty knife, into a small 
can set beside the straining outfit. Save these strain- 
ings for future use, which will be described later. 

There is advantages in straining the paint, whether 
it is to be used indoors or outdoors. Whether for fine 
or common work. First, it spreads easier under the 
brush. Next, it makes a better looking job. Again, 
especially if you are doing an inside job and good 


70 The Expert Paint Mixer 


work, it will save time by your not having to stop 
to pick off specs or nibs of lead, etc. Moreover, the 
strainer will catch and your brush used in the strain- 
ing will crush any chance bit of color, which if left 
in the paint would cause a streak that would require 
working out with the brush, with a chance of its 
marring the appearance of the finish. There are many 
such little things connected with painting that are 
worth while to know and to observe. 

It may not be necessary to urge cleanliness in the 
paint shop, clean pots and brushes, yet a word may 
not be amiss. After you are done with the paint pot 
for the day, wipe it down on the inside with your 
brushes, and with a rag wipe off the outside. This 
is done in all first-class shops. In warm weather the 
paint dries to the pot very rapidly, and hence it is 
well then to wipe down the pot frequently, particularly 
when you are using turpentine paint, or outside paint 
with too much driers init. In course of time the paint 
pot will be more or less incrusted with paint on its 
outside, and inside too; then it should be made clean 
again. There are two principal methods for doing 
this; one way is to burn the paint off, by filling the 
pot with paper and setting fire to it. Maybe a little 
coal oil on the paper will be better for a very thickly 
coated pot. The heat will soften up the paint inside 
and out, and while it is doing this scrape the old stuff 
down with a putty knife, doing the inside first. The 


The Expert Paint Mixer 7a 


old paint will burn and thus assist in keeping up the 
fire. When all inside paint has been scraped down 
empty the fire and scrape off the outer side of the pot. 
You will then have a clean pot. The other way is to 
let the pot soak for some time in strong lye water, 
using concentrated lye, placed in a half-barrel. The 
latter method is used mainly by vehicle painters, who 
use a number of very small cans in their work, and 
practically no large pots. I like the fire method best. 
It is efficient, cheap, and can be done at any time. 

Many painters add some turpentine to all outside 
paint, saying it facilitates penetration in priming- 
paint, and tends to harden the other coats. In winter 
it keeps the paint more normal as to working con- 
sistency, the cold not affecting it, while cold thickens 
linseed oil. The turpentine thereby makes brushing 
out easier in cold weather. But its use is common in 
warm weather for the same reason that it tends to 
harden the paint and thus form a tougher film. 

For priming exterior work add one pint of tur- 
pentine to one gallon of raw linseed oil, and mix with 
from four to six pounds of white lead. Add driers, 
say an ounce to the gallon of oil. One ounce of pow- 
dered litharge also may be used, in place of the driers. 
Mix, strain, and rub well into the wood. For second 
coat thin the white lead with equal parts of oil and 
turpentine, omitting the driers. If the temperature 
is below 60 deg. Fahr., make the paint to weigh 16 


G2 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Ibs. to the gallon. If above this degree, let the paint 
weigh 18 lbs. to the gallon. The third coat may be 
prepared with all oil, no turpentine, or just a little, 
to give a harder film. 

; To mix paint for priming white pine add 20 per 
cent. of turpentine to 80 per cent. of oil. For priming 
almost any soft wood there will be needed a paint 
that is elastic and that has good penetrating power. 
For redwood it will be best to add benzol to the 
priming coat, for it is better than turpentine in this 
case; it softens the gum that may be present, and 
thereby enables the paint to penetrate better. Or 
you may use turpentine in addition to the benzol. 
Say 70 per cent. raw oil, 20 per cent. benzol and 10 
per cent. turpentine. In using benzol in paint do not 
add it until you are ready to use the paint, on account 
of its volatile nature. Some use benzine in place of 
the above two liquids, but there does not appear to be 
any advantage in doing so. 

Cypress is another wood that needs a high pene- 
trating liquid, and a pint of turpentine or benzol to 
the gallon of primer will do. This wood is to be 
primed as soon as possible, to keep down the planer 
marks, and which rise under the influence of the 
weather. Paint, the priming, dries very slowly on 
some parts of it, and no amount of driers appears to 
make it dry any faster. Where the same paint would 
dry over night on white pine it would take several 


The Expert Paint Mixer he 


days to dry on these certain sappy parts of cypress, 
and hence a coating of shellac would seem to be the 
only remedy. Or a coating of benzol would help. 
Some painters apply a coat of japan driers. This 
would do very well in place of the more expensive 
shellac varnish. Primer for this wood should be quite 
thin and be mixed from lead and thinned with tur- 
pentine or benzol or equal parts of both 80 per cent., 
and of oil 20 per cent. If the primer is thinned with 
— oil only there will be dry and wet streaks. Another 
plan consists in burning the surface with a torch, to 
kill the sappy streaks. A paint made from red lead 
and white lead is a good composition for the first coat. 
The English painter adds red lead to much of the 
priming paint that he uses, and we too might use it 
oftener than we do. It is a good drier, and makes a 
harder paint than white lead and oil. For first-coating 
any wood it is to be recommended. 

Yellow pine is a difficult wood to paint, owing to 
its gummy nature. In describing how to mix paints 
we must of course describe the surfaces that are to be 
painted, there being no such thing as a universal 
primer. To successfully paint hard or yellow pine 
was for some time a problem, then some Southern 
painter hit upon adding a little pine tar to the prim- 
ing coat, which consisted of white lead thinned very 
thin with a little oil but mostly turpentine. And now 
benzol is used in place of turpentine. It is claimed 


74 The Expert Paint Mixer 


that when wood tar is added to the priming coat 
there is no subsequent trouble with paint on hard 
pine. As a general thing paint dries slowly on this 
wood. The succeeding coats, and there ought to be at 
least three, should be rather thin, well rubbed out. 
Heavy coats are apt to peel. 

Oregon and Idaho pine will take rather more oil 
than our Southern pine, yet plenty of benzol or tur- 
pentine will not be amiss. The surfaces of these woods 
are uneven, not like southern hard pine, hence in dry- 
ing there will be soft and hard parts, dry and undry. 

Poplar and cottonwood are in some respects like 
white pine, easy to paint and paint dries well on both. 
But two-coat work does not do as well as it would on 
white pine. In fact, three-coat work is best on the 
best of woods. 

Spruce is used in structural work, particularly for 
weatherboarding. This wood should not be painted 
until it has stood to the weather for some time, a 
month at least. It is a hard kind of wood, and the 
primer should have benzol or turpentine as a thinning 
agent. An expert advises that water be added to the 
priming coat, his theory being that the water will 
open up the sealed pores of the wood and allow the 
paint to enter, after which the water will dry out and 
no harm done. 

The best base for a priming paint is white lead 
ground in oil; zinc white will not do. A little red 


The Expert Paint Mixer 75 


lead added to the white lead is advised. Driers 
should be used in moderation; in some cases none 
need be used. Do not use boiled oil in the priming 
paint, it is too thick and is a drier. If red lead is 
desired to add to the white lead, use the dry; dry 
red is of fine texture, and does not require grinding to 
make it finer. When you have some old work to 
prime, where the old paint has been removed, a prim- 
ing of red and white lead is the best to use. If the 
wood is very dry it would be well to size it first with 
raw oil, which when dry may be painted over with 
the primer. Don’t mix your primer too heavy, for 
that will cause brush marks that will have to be sand- 
papered out, or if left will mar the finish. Never use 
ochre for priming. A partly worn brush will do better 
work than a new brush. It may be an advantage to 
add a little color to the primer when the finish is to 
be in color. This is particularly good where the wood 
is unevenly colored naturally, as it presents a solid 
appearing surface. By making each successive coat 
a trifle darker you will see better whether you have 
missed any parts. 

In another place I spoke of the inadequacy of ready 
mixed paint as a priming paint, when thinned up. 
I should have added to what I said there that the 
objection might not with justice be applied to the 
best grades, which come nearer to hand-mixed paint. 
The trouble with the inferior, or even with the aver- 


76 The Expert Paint Mixer 


age fair grade, of ready made is that they are com- 
posed of pigments and bases that will not stand thin- 
ning. Here for example is a paint composed of white 
lead 56 parts, barytes 28 parts, iron oxide 10 parts, 
and lead sulphate 6 parts. And this paint was thinned 
with adulterated oil and turpentine. Thin this down 
to priming paint consistency and you have no body 
at all. 

One of the most difficult jobs is an old frame build- 
ing, whose weatherboards and other exposed wood- 
work has not been painted for a number of years. If 
the old paint has left it entirely the case is not quite 
so serious; but if it presents patches of old paint it 
is troublesome: But the trouble is greatly enhanced 
if there is a great deal of the old paint remaining, 
with bare spots only here and there. There is too 
much old stuff to remove in the latter case, and how 
to retain it and get a good finish is the problem. To 
remove a great amount of old paint means time and 
labor, which is usually enough to forbid the work. 
Either fire or strong lye must be used to remove the 
paint, as commercial removers would be too costly. 
Fire is dangerous, lye is troublesome and involves a 
lot of work. But let us suppose that the old paint 
has left the wood entirely. Then we have a surface 
similar to new wood, in that it is bare, though other- 
wise it is quite different. The wood is very porous, 
like a sponge, the painter would say, hence ordinary 


The Expert Paint Mixer 77 


thin priming will not do. Here is a good formula to 
meet the case: Take say 20 lbs. of bolted whiting 
and mix it to a paste with equal parts of water and 
turpentine (benzine is really called for in this formula, 
but as that fluid has no affinity for water and turpen- 
tine has, I prefer the latter; of course it is the costliest 
of the two). Then mix up 50 lbs. of white lead, 
ground in oil, and beat this intimately into the mass. 
Then thin to the proper brushing consistency with 
equal parts of raw linseed oil and sweet milk. In 
adding milk pour in a very little at a time, and stir 
briskly; water or milk is not difficult to mix with the 
above paint. Finally stir the mass well, and it is 
ready to apply. Brush it out evenly. This paint is 
designed to fill the open-pored surface, thus saving in 
the use of all-lead paint, and in its cost; besides 
which it requires a sort of filler to make such a sur- 
face solid for the next coat of paint. And the next 
coat may be straight white lead and oil paint. Driers 
are to be added to the filler coat as described, as well 
as to any succeeding coats. 

Referring again to the matter of using a little tur- 
pentine in our exterior paint, it is used for another 
reason; usually we like to have a good gloss on the 
finish coat, exterior work, and to get this in its best 
form it is necessary to make the coat beneath it some- 
what flat or without much luster; for it is a rule that 
where you desire a gloss the under coat must be 


78 The Expert Paint Mixer 


without gloss; and to produce the best flat effect it 
is best to have the under coat more or less glossy. 
If in painting in oil color you happen to apply a full 
oil paint on top of the same kind of paint the result 
will be a partly flatted finish, neither one thing or the 
other. Again, in winter a little turpentine keeps the 
oil paint from crawling, a fault caused by the cold. 
And wrinkling that sometimes occurs may be pre- 
vented by the use of a little turpentine in the oil 
paint. So that turps, as painters call it, for short, 
has its use even in outside paint. 

Paint for winter use, exterior, must be made dif- 
ferent to that intended for summer use. The oil 
thickens by the extreme cold, and the paint becomes 
like mush. It would be a mistake to thin it with 
either oil or turpentine, as that would simply reduce 
its body, and the coating would suffer in consequence. 
The proper thing to do is to place the paint indoors 
where there is enough heat to warm it to the right 
consistency. ‘This warming would have to be re- 
peated as required, though it is seldom required at 
all. I have painted outdoors in the severest winter 
weather, and never yet warmed the paint. The in- 
tention here is simply to warn you not to thin with 
a liquid. The best plan is to add enough turpentine 
when mixing the paint to keep it fluid enough to spread 
nearly ‘normally. Then paint in winter time needs 
more brushing out, on account of being rather stiff. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 79 


Some use genuine kettle boiled oil for winter 
paint, and in this case I would advise the addition of 
a little driers, say a gill to the hundred weight of lead; 
the oil is a drier itself, but it will be well to assist it 
a little. For old work and where raw oil is used in 
mixing the paint it is advised to use one pint of the 
best turpentine japan drier to the hundred weight of 
lead. This for both priming coat and second coat. 
For new outside work use three half-pints of drier to 
the hundred weight of lead. These allowances are 
liberal. 

Another paint problem is found in the matter of 
painting over a burnt-off surface. Such a surface does 
not take paint well, or does not retain it well. The 
paint for this condition is to be made very thin, at 
the rate of about 6! gallons of raw oil and one gallon 
of turpentine to the 100 pounds of lead. This must 
be well brushed in, and the oil must penetrate well. 
The second coat may be made upon the formula of 
5 gallons of oil and 4 gallon of turpentine to the 100 
pounds of lead. The third and finish coat should be 
made from about 4 gallons of raw oil, and one quart 
of turpentine to the roo pounds of lead. 

What painters call ‘‘stock paint” is simply a lead 
paste made ready a day or two before for thinning up 
when wanted for application. Weigh out or take by 
guess the amount of lead that will do the work in 
view, and with the mixing paddle work it smooth 


80 The Expert Paint Mixer 


and free of lumps. The usual directions specify that 
driers are then to be added, but this I do not con- 
sider good practice, unless perhaps the mixture is to 
be used the next day; asa rule the driers is best mixed 
with the paste paint before thinning it. After having 
mixed the lead as directed pass it through a rather 
coarse mesh strainer, into a clean vessel, then cover it 
up tight to exclude air and dirt. Another way to get 
stock paint, which is called stock white by the painter, 
is to have it prepared at the paint factory, and this 
is only done in case a large quantity is used, as with 
the large contracting painters. And it is not unusual 
to have some other pigment than white lead incorpor- 
ated, as many master painters believe that paint of 
exterior use is improved by adding to it as indicated. 
The addition of a certain proportion of zinc white is 
intended to make the paint film harder, not so likely 
to flour, as some white lead does. And some favor 
adding a proportion of barytes, which has as its mis- 
sion the making of the paint more porous, a statement 
that we need not discuss here. Given this or any 
stock white, the contractor saves in the time it would 
take for the shop man to mix up large amounts of 
lead, etc. And it is always in stock, ready when called 
upon. By getting this stock white in rather large 
amount its cost is very little more than the lead in 
the kegs. 

Ready mixed paints put out by paint makers must 


The Expert Paint Mixer 81 


be accorded space here. Many will doubtless use 
these paints, as many already do. As full directions 
are on the cans little need be said here on that score. 
But there are ready made paste paints also, white and 
colored. ‘The thinning of such paints will depend upon 
conditions, etc., as with hand-mixed paint. There 
are general rules applying to the thinning of paste 
paints that may be given here. If the paste is to be 
thinned for priming new wood you may add from 25 
to 50 per cent. of raw oil. For average exterior work 
25 lbs. of the paste paint will take about five quarts 
of raw oil and a gill of good driers. This will give 
about two gallons of mixed paint, and will weigh 
about 17 Ibs. to the gallon. For 25 lbs. of white that 
contains other base than white lead, use the same 
quantities of oil and driers as given in the previous 
formula, but it will give about a pint more paint and 
will weigh only about 161% lbs. to the gallon. For 
25 lbs. of pure white zinc oxide add to the above 
formula 158 gallons of raw oil and 1% pint of best 
driers. This will give nearly three gallons of paint 
weighing 1334 lbs. to the gallon. Zinc white takes 
more oil than lead does, and when mixing it for exte- 
rior use do not add any turpentine, use only oil, the 
pale boiled oil for a white job. And such paint is to 
be applied different to white lead paint, being applied 
in what is called full round coats, much more so than 


lead paint, because zinc white has less body than 
6 


82 The Expert Paint Mixer 


lead. Zinc white too is hard to dry, not being a self- 
drier, and hence if you should use the common com- 
mercial boiled oil, which may not be boiled oil, the 
paint will not dry satisfactorily. To mix white zinc 
paint with oil have ready two clean paint pots. In 
one put what zinc white you will require, say about 
7 Ibs., and gradually add and paddle in the oil until 
it has come to a paste form; then add the driers, stir- 
ring it in well. Then strain through cheese-cloth into 
the other vessel. Be careful not to get the paint too 
thin; it should be rather stout or full. If a mixture of 
lead and zinc is to be prepared do not add the zinc 
to the lead at once, but mix up each separately, and 
when each has been sufficiently thinned add the two 
together and stir until perfectly amalgamated. The 
reason for this is, the zinc and lead have different 
specific gravities, the lead being denser than the zinc. 
So that when we mix the two together right out of 
their kegs it is difficult to get the two to come to- 
gether easily. We save time and work by mixing 
them separately. Many painters do not know this, 
and have trouble when they make up a lead and zinc 
paint. 3 


CHAPTER IX 


PREPARATION OF PAINTS FOR VARIOUS 
PURPOSES 


It is a fortunate circumstance that the painter is 
free to mix his paint as conditions seem to require, 
and not have to use a ready-made paint that cannot 
well be made suitable for the various conditions that 
confront a painter when he has a job to do. Even 
a standard set of formulas are no more than guides, 
indicating in a general way how to mix the paint. 
We know that old work and new differ in paint re- 
quirements, that paint to be used in cold weather 
must differ from that intended for warm weather, all 
of which has already been stated. But even under 
these general heads scarcely two jobs are alike in all 
things; each usually demands its own special treat- 
ment. 

It may be stated in a general way that so much 
lead requires so much thinners. Say 100 lbs. of pure 
white lead is to be mixed for new exterior painting; 
the quantity of oil required will vary with conditions. 
And each coat will require its certain amount of oil. 
In a general way it may be said that five gallons of 


oil is enough for the hundred weight of lead. But as 
83 


84. The Expert Paint Mixer 


little as four gallons may do in some cases, while as 
high as seven gallons may be advisable in others. 
For old exterior work for the first coat it may be 
advisable to add some turpentine, and in this case a 
gallon of this fluid to four gallons of raw linseed oil 
will usually answer. Adding about a half-pint or so 
of driers. For the second coat less oil and turpentine 
may be used; say four gallons of oil and one quart of 
turpentine, with about the same quantity of driers as 
for the first coat. 

For new exterior work more oil will be required for 
the purpose than for old work; the reason is that new 
wood is more absorbent of oil than old wood, which 
has been painted and hence contains some of the 
original paint in its pores. 

No subject connected with paint and painting has 
been more discussed by painters and paint experts in 
paint chemistry and manufacture than the chalking 
of white lead paint. What has been said before con- 
ventions of master painters and in the paint trade 
journals would fill many volumes, and while opinions 
differ and theories have been laid down, yet in a 
general way it would appear that the fault is due to 
the lack of sufficient oil in the white lead paint, and 
the trouble is usually worst in the-case of white exte- 
rior painting. The cause is a chemical one; the lead 
and oil are chemically active and a lead soap is formed 
that must necessarily be injurious to the paint. Just 


The Expert Paint Mixer 85 


how to prevent this chemical activity is a problem 
for the paint chemist. It is said that the addition of 
barytes does the trick. The idea is purely theory, it 
being supposed that the barytes, being a neutral or 
chemically inactive substance, will separate the par- 
ticles of lead and oil and prevent their acting one on 
the other. Paint manufacturers favor this idea, and 
it may be added that many painters also favor it; 
many say that from actual experience and experiment 
they have proved the matter, As for the oil content 
of an outside paint, is seems to be well established 
that the more oil that can be used, avoiding a too 
thin condition for all coats after the priming, the 
better the paint will wear. This agrees with my 
painting experience; I have found that a thin paint 
will outlast a heavy bodied paint, this particularly 
applying to white lead exterior paint. Finally, I 
would advise that exterior oil paint mixed for at 
least the last coat, be made rather thin, or at least 
not heavy with lead. 

For interior painting, which we shall now consider, 
the purpose of the paint is not to withstand weather 
conditions, hence need not be heavy bodied, espe- 
cially in the case of an oil-and-color paint. Yet there 
must be body enough to form a solid-appearing sur- 
face. White paint will naturally carry more lead and 
hence have more body than a colored paint, because 
it must be mixed with turpentine, which is thin as 


86 The Expert Paint Mixer 


compared with linseed oil. For priming new interior 
woodwork mix the paint in the proportion of raw oil 
and turpentine equal parts; for 100 lbs. of lead use 
about five gallons of each liquid. Add about a pint 
of best turpentine driers. For second coat about half 
as much turpentine as oil, or one gallon of oil and two 
to two and one-half gallons of oil. For third coat, if 
it is to be left glossy, or enamel finish, add at the 
rate of 314 pounds of zinc white to a gallon of demar 
varnish. For egg-shell gloss, to 100 Ibs. lead, or in 
this proportion, 3 gallons pure turpentine and one 
pint of best pale driers. To secure a dead-flat finish 
the lead should be mixed with all turpentine, and 
drawn lead will give a better job than the lead that 
contains all the oil that it was ground in. : 

Drawn lead may be thus described: Mix up white 
lead that has been ground in oil with some benzine, 
let it then stand some time, or until its oil has risen 
to the surface, when it may be removed. Mix again 
with benzine, and repeat this until no more oil arises. 
Then mix the lead with all turpentine, and add a 
little good varnish, to serve as a binder in the absence 
of the oil. , 

In order to secure a clear white job, on either new 
or old work, add no oil to the paint, except on the 
priming. The same may be said regarding delicate or 
light tints. Oil has a natural yellow color, which 
becomes darker with time, unless exposed to strong 


The Expert Paint Mixer 87 


light and to the weather. They bleach raw linseed 
oil by placing it in a clear glass vial and hanging the 
vial where the sun can shine on it all day. So that 
it is the sunlight, rather than the weather, that bleaches 
the oil. 

Plastered walls also are painted, and the paint in 
the main is like that used on the woodwork. The 
first coat or primer requires more oil than that used 
for priming wood. As much as 8 gallons of oil to the 
100 lbs. of lead and boiled oil is best, which is just 
the opposite with wood priming. In addition to the 
oil add also two or three quarts of turpentine, no driers 
being needed with boiled oil. After the priming coat 
has become dry give it a coat of weak glue size. Upon 
this point there is a diversity of opinion among ex- 
perts. Some argue that the glue size may become 
affected with the dampness usually present in plaster 
walls, and so affect the entire job. Some advise using 
the glue size on the wall before priming it, but this 
would not be safe to do if the wall were subject to 
dampness; it would do if the wall was normally dry. 
But the glue being between two coats of paint the 
danger of the dampness affecting it is a negligible 
matter. But why the glue size between the coats? 
It is easily seen what good it might do on the bare 
plaster, filling the surface and saving paint, but it is 
not so apparent what good would result from placing 
it between two coats of paint. The answer is, the 


88 The Expert Paint Mixer 


size between the two coats of paint does just what it 
does on the bare plaster, only in a more limited man- 
ner; it makes the sealing of the pores of the plaster 
and priming surer. It makes a firm and solid founda- 
tion for the subsequent coats. 

As with woodwork, there are several finishes used 
for plastered walls. The dead flat, the egg-shell gloss, 
and the full gloss. The paint is about the same as 
that indicated for inside woodwork. 

Another special form of paint is that intended for 
using with a paint spraying machine. As this paint 
must pass from the machine in the form of a very 
fine spray, it is obvious that it must be made very 
thin, and such is the case. So thin indeed that one 
might question the practical value of such a coating. 
It is claimed that by the more even distribution of 
the paint a denser film is secured than is obtained by 
the brushing method. Again, by the application of 
two spray coats to onebrush coat is secured as good 
a surface, and probably a better. But to prepare the 
paint is our most interesting part of the discussion. 
It is easily disposed of. Mix the paint in the manner 
usual for exterior or interior paint, and thin it up with 
oil or turpentine or parts of both, as may be required. 
The paint may be made nearly or even quite as heavy 
as ordinary paint, for some nozzles will spray it all 
right; this depends upon the size of nozzle and pur- 
pose of the paint. Varnish also is used with this 


The Expert Paint Mixer 89 


machine. The spray is in the form of.a vapor float- 
ing in the air, and much of it does not attach to the 
object being treated. The paint must be perfectly 
made and strained in order not to clog the nozzles. 
Water paint as well as oil paint and varnish are used 
in these machines. 

Paint for Brickwork.—Like all surfaces that are to 
be made ready for painting, brick walls, whether new 
or old, excepting old walls that have been painted 
and are not in bad condition, need to be primed, to 
fill the pores. For new work it is best to apply raw 
oil alone, or with some Venetian red or yellow ocher— 
preferably the former pigment. Then two coats of 
oil paint on this priming should give a good glossy 
surface. The paint for the coat applied over the 
priming may be made from Venetian red or white 
lead, according to what the finish is to be, thinned 
with raw oil, and good driers to insure proper drying. 
This paint may be made with a fairly good body, but 
not heavy. The next coat, if the finish, may be what- 
ever is required, but usually it is a full gloss finish. 
In that case it will likely be a red, using Venetian red, 
dry, and either raw or good boiled oil. But if the 
finish is to be in imitation of bricks, then a different 
course must be taken. The under coat, the one just 
beneath the finish, needs to be made with equal parts 
of oil and turpentine, using raw oil. This will give a 
hard, semi-flat surface upon which to apply the flat 


go The Expert Paint Mixer 


brick color or finish. Often brick walls are painted 
with Venetian red mixed in raw or boiled oil, produc- 
ing a glossy red finish. But flat brick work is much 
finer, and of course much more expensive. In cities, 
Philadelphia being a notable example, this flatting of 
brick work is usually given to experts who do no 
other kind of painting. The brick paint used comes 
ready made, in several shades of color, such as light, 
medium, and dark brick red, and in the buffish shades, 
and they are ready to apply after being thinned. 
The red brick colors are made very thin with turpen- 
tine, in order to give a very solid brick effect, show- 
ing no brush marks. The colors composing them are 
strong and stand a lot of thinning. The buffish colors 
may be applied as flat, or be made semi-flat or glossy, 
as desired. As a rule they look better if more or less 
glossy. But the reds are better flat. The latter are 
lined to imitate the mortar joints. 

The painter should know how to mix these brick 
colors, as occasion may arise when it is desirable to 
do so. A good brick red of light color may be made 
with two parts best French yellow ochre, one part of 
the best Venetian red, and one part white lead. Mix 
with raw oil, thin with turpentine, and add driers. 
To the above, to produce dark brick red, add Prus- 
sian blue to any desired amount to get the shade you 
desire. The darkest brick red is purple-red. The 
lightest is buffish red. The intermediate colors will 


The Expert Paint Mixer gI 


show some of both these colors. The buff brick colors 
are made from ochre as the base, and several modifica- 
tions of this color may be obtained by adding other 
colors, say umber, and raw sienna may be used in 
place of ochre if desired. It may also be tinted with 
a little Prussian blue, to impart a slight greenish cast. 
Milwaukee brick color is made from white lead, yel- 
low ochre and raw sienna, from which may be ob- 
tained any shade ranging from light cream to a posi- 
tive buff.* 

To estimate the amount of paint required for 
painting brickwork, we must take into account the 
condition of the work. In a general way it may 
be estimated that a square yard will take about 
one-half pound of ordinary paint. For painting 
a new brick wall of the best class, with pressed bricks 
lined and of smooth surface, there will be required 
little more paint than indicated for new white 
pine. 

Paint for Cement Surface—Cement is very caustic 
and of course destructive to ordinary oil paint. If 
the work has stood to the weather for say one year it 
will take the paint with some assurance of its wearing 
well. Otherwise the surface must be treated with 
some liquid to kill the caustic. There are certain 
liquids for this purpose, and they are claimed to be 
effective. At any rate, we know that oil paint when 

*See Chap. X, p. 66, for brick color formulas. 


92 The Expert Paint Mixer 


applied to fresh cement or to concrete will soon deterio- 
rate and peel off. 

Laying aside the matter of the fitness of cement or 
concrete to receive and hold oil paint, if such surfaces 
are to be painted we have the following formulas for 
making a suitable coating. For the first or priming 
coat, to 100 lbs. of white lead use 4 gallons of real 
boiled oil or 9 gallons of raw oil, and 1 gallon of tur- 
pentine, with about 14 pint of good driers. The driers 
need not be used if the boiled oil is used. The next 
coat may be made from 4 gallons of raw oil and 1 pint 
of turpentine, with a pint of driers. As three coats 
are necessary, let the third and last one be made with 
334 gallons raw oil and one pint of turpentine. 

For painting on cement the best grades of pigments 
and liquids must be used. Zinc white does not do, 
being too hard. Some painters claim to get good re- 
sults from the employment of red lead for the priming 
coat, this being the formula: Pure dry red lead, 85 
Ibs., pure kettle boiled linseed oil 1 gall., pure gum 
turpentine spirits 1 quart. Red lead should form a 
good coating, being hard and elastic, but if light color 
is desired for the finish, the red lead will have to be 
well covered with other paint to prevent its discolor- 
ing action on the finish. A German method calls for 
the addition of a pound of beeswax to 25 lbs. of white 
lead for a priming coat. The wax is melted or dis- 
solved in turpentine. This is said to make a very 


The Expert Paint Mixer. 93 


durable coating, and reminds me of a formula for exte- 
rior paint once given me by an old expert painter; he 
added wax to the paint. 

As cement is caustic certain pigments cannot safely 
be used for painting it. The following pigments are 
immune from alkali in any form: Yellow ochre, zinc 
yellow, red or burned ochre, iron oxide, ultramarine 
blue, ultramarine green, zinc white, lithopone, min- 
eral black. The earth colors are of course safe. 

In painting over cement it is best to use little oil, 
depending on turpentine as a thinner. This does very 
well at any rate when a dead finish is desired. A flat 
paint for this purpose may be made with a paint 
thinned with turpentine and bound with a little var- 
nish. That is for the first coat and the second coat. 
For the third coat thin with three parts boiled oil and 
one part turpentine. The next and last coat is to be 
made flat. Thin with turpentine and add some var- 
nish to bind it. : 

In painting over cement it is well to use more tur- 
pentine than in ordinary paint, and very little driers. 
Boiled oil, if the genuine article, is preferable to the 
raw. The priming coat should be thin and contain 
next to no oil, but mostly turpentine. Increase the 
proportion of oil with each coat, excepting where a 
flat finish is to be made, then let the last coat be as 
indicated, all turpentine. Observe also to allow each 
coat plenty of time for drying thoroughly. 


94 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Mixing Paint for Metal Work.—Red lead is the 
best of all pigments for first-coating iron and steel. 
Red lead varies in manufacture, there being several 
kinds on the market. It is a mixture of red lead and 
litharge. It is the litharge that causes red lead paint 
to settle in the pot as it does. The more litharge that 
red lead contains the heavier it is and the less its 
covering power. The Government requires of a red 
lead that it contain at least 94 per cent. of red lead, 
and most railroads require a similar quality. Red 
lead should be used in the dry state, and be mixed 
where it is to be applied. This because it will settle 
more or less anyhow, and become hard in the pot, 
unless frequently stirred. No driers are required with 
it as it is a strong drier itself. The best red lead is 
finely ground, and in this condition settling in the 
pot is less than is the case with a coarser lead. Mix 
red lead paint rather thin, and keep it stirred while 
using it. Clean out the paint pot when done with 
the paint, unless there is much of it left, in which 
case cover tight. If possible mix only enough for the 
day’s work. 

A very good thinning of red lead for paint may be 
made with one gallon of raw oil and one quart of 
turpentine; if then not thin enough to spread well 
add a little more oil. As a rule, turpentine should 
not be used with red lead,* excepting in cold and 

'* This applies to red lead paint intended for coating metal. 


The Expert Paint Mixer mor 


damp weather; but it makes the spreading easier. 
Thin with raw oil in summer, with boiled oil in winter. 
When boiled oil is used do not get the paint too thick, 
for that would cause it to wrinkle. 

There are ways for preventing red lead from settling 
in the pot, such as mixing dry red lead with water, 
‘then stirring in the oil. Another way is to add some 
whiting, and this is good for more than one reason; 
it not only prevents settling in the pot, but it will 
also prevent sagging, a fault due to the heavy nature 
of the lead. It makes the paint easier to work, holds 
the lead in suspension, and adds to the elasticity of 
the paint. Whiting does not alter or injure the paint. 
You must not add too much whiting, though as much 
as one-half may be used without injuring the qualities 
of the paint, nor will the color be visibly altered. 
Often red lead paint is colored a little with lampblack, 
which also improves it, it is thought. 

For painting cast iron work thin up dry red lead 
with 34 raw oil and %4 turpentine. Or use all oil if 
you wish. The second coat may contain some tur- 
pentine, but the third and last coat should be thinned 
with oil only. 

When you make up a mixture of red lead and lamp- 
black use boiled oil and a little driers. This because 
such a paint will dry slowly unassisted. The lamp- 
black being a very poor drier it prevents the paint to 
which it is added from drying properly. However, it 


96 The Expert Paint Mixer 


is not solely on this account that we add driers and 
boiled oil, but mainly because these liquids serve to 
bind the lead and black in oil and prevent their sepa- 
ration. Lead being so much heavier than lampblack 
will naturally separate from it and settle. 

Here are some good working formulas, in use by 
large corporations, such as railroads, etc. The pro- 
portions can be reduced, of course, to meet smaller 
requirements. 

To 100 lbs. of dry red lead add from four to five 
gallons of raw linseed oil, one quart of good drying 
japan, and a quart of good copal varnish. 

To 100 lbs. of dry red lead add four gallons of raw 
linseed oil, one quart of turpentine, and from one-half 
to one pint of best drying japan, according to weather 
conditions, or whether for slow or quick finish. 

To 100 lbs. of dry red lead add 4 gallons of raw 
linseed oil for summer, and same quantity of boiled oil 
for winter, one gallon of turpentine, and one-half gal- 
lon of driers. 

If it is desired to use black with the paint, add at 
the rate of ten ounces of lampblack to twelve pounds 
of red lead, mixing with enough oil to make one gallon 
of paint. 

Taking the first formula given, let us make up a 
suitable paint with it. For a priming coat, on iron 
or steel, thin 11 Ibs. of dry red lead with one quart 
of oil; this will make a thick mass; let it stand a 


The Expert Paint Mixer 97 


while. Then thin with one pint of raw oil and a gill 
of driers. This will make two quarts of mixed paint. 
For the second coat take 10 Ibs. of red lead and 3 
ozs. of lampblack and one quart of oil. Thin this 
with a pint of oil and a gill of driers. The paint should 
be mixed thoroughly and then be strained. Such 
paint will cover 700 square feet, one coat, average 
iron surface. 

Different mixers use different proportions of red 
lead and oil. One railroad paint shop adds 21 Ibs. 
of red lead to the gallon of oil, A bridge-painting 
concern specifies the use of red lead in the ratio of 
three and one-half parts red lead to one-half part of 
oil, all by weight. 

A non-hardening red lead paint may be made on 
this formula: 


65 lbs. dry red lead. 
10 lbs. dry pulverized silica. 
to lbs. dry China clay. 
1 lb. driers. 
1 lb. turpentine (or substitute). 
20 Ibs. raw linseed oil. 


Paint for Metal Roofing.—Paint for tin roofs must 
be mixed thin, for the reason that there is no porosity 
to take the paint in, and hence it remains all upon the 
surface; if the paint is heavy it will chip and peel 
when it gets hard-dry. If the paint is to be used in 

7 ! 


98 The Expert Paint Mixer 


warm weather it will require very little pigment, and 
no driers at all. In cold weather it will require some 
driers, and still will need to be thin. Such paint is 
to be well brushed out, and all runs wiped away. 
Venetian red is thought by many painters to be the 
best pigment to use, but iron oxide does very well too. 
Graphite paint should not be used, nor white lead or 
zinc. Red lead paint is good. Some experts advise 
equal parts by weight of pigment and oil. That would 
be at the rate of 71% lbs. of dry pigment to the gallon 
of raw oil. To mix, put the pigment in a suitable 
vessel and pour the oil on top of it; let it stand until 
the oil has percolated through the pigment, which will 
require several hours, say over night. Then it is an 
easy matter to mix it to a smooth paste. To use red 
lead paint it is advised to thin with turpentine and 
oil, with driers if conditions seem to require it. Red 
lead is costlier than Venetian or oxide red, and per- 
haps is not more efficient than the two cheaper kinds 
mentioned. What is called mineral brown is simply 
red or brown oxide of iron. 

Paint for Metal Ceilings.—Usually this metal comes 
to us with its first coat on, it having been dipped in 
a thin mixture of varnish and benzine, with zinc white 
to give body. The paint for this stamped and primed 
sheet steel may be made as for plaster or wood-work. 
The first coat contains a neutral pigment, zinc as we 
here give it, for a chemically active paint or pigment 


The Expert Paint Mixer 99 


would cause the metal to rust. But after it has been 
properly primed you may use any sort of good pig- 
ment paint desired. The best effects result from a 
finish of flat paint, which is better than any degree 
of gloss. 

Paini for Galvanized Iron.—Any ordinary good oil 
paint does for galvanized iron, but only after the 
metal has been properly treated to take the first coat, 
and perhaps after it has been specially primed. For 
permanency on this peculiar metal the painter is 
advised to use any of the following pigments: Red 
lead, burnt umber, burnt sienna, Indian red, Prus- 
sian blue, lampblack, graphite. The poorest adher- 
ing pigments are zinc white, lithopone, clay, silica, 
and some others of this character. 


CHAPTER X 


COLOR FORMULAS. HOW TO MIX TINTS, 
ETC. 


There are hundreds of colors, tints, hues and shades 
the names of which are in but comparatively few cases 
familiar to the average painter. Yet it has been 
thought best to make a complete list of them, or as 
near as possible, and to make it easier to find any 
desired color we have listed them according to their 
most pronounced color feature. As many cannot be 
so classed, these have been placed in a separate sec- 
tion, without rendering their place more difficult to 
find. We will begin with the reds. 


Cotors In WuicH REDS PREDOMINATE 


Armenian Red. Venetian red 2 parts, yellow 
ochre 1 part. 

Ashes of Roses. Tint pink a little with drop black. 

Brick, Milwaukee. White lead 400 parts, French 
yellow ochre 32 parts, raw umber 1 part. 

Brick Red. White lead 4 parts, Venetian red 2 
parts, Indian red 1 part. 

Brick, Philadelphia Pressed. White lead 4 parts, 
Venetian red 2 parts, Indian red 1 part. 

Brick, Dark. Add blue to red brick. By varying 


100 


The Expert Paint Mixer IOI 


proportions any desired shade or color of brick may 
be made from the above colors. Salmon or soft brick 
may be made by adding plenty of ochre and white 
lead; there is little or no red in this brick. 

Carnation. White lead 12 parts, scarlet lake 1 
part; or zinc white 16 parts, scarlet lake 1 part. 

Cherry Red. English vermilion 2 parts, No. 40 
carmine 1 part. 

Coral Pink. White lead 10 parts, vermilion 3 parts, 
orange chrome yellow 2 parts. 

Damask Red. Rose madder or French carmine and 
a very little scarlet lake or vermilion. 
- Geranium Pink. Zinc white 60 parts, geranium 
lake x part. 7 

Imperial Orange Red. Solferino lake 4 parts, yel- 
low lake 1 part. 
} Moorish Red. Aniline vermilion 3 parts, rose pink 
I part. 

Mexican Red. ‘Venetian red 4 parts, red lead 1 
part. 

Old Pink. Zinc white, rose lake, and raw umber.* 

Old Red. Tuscan red, drop black, and a drop of 


white. 
Old Rose. Tuscan red and drop black, with a very 


little white. Or, rose madder or carmine, white, and 
a drop of black. | ‘ee 


*Such colors are difficult to describe in terms of parts. 
There are several such in these lists. 


102 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Opaque Crimson. Carmine 2 parts, English ver- 
milion 1 part. 

Orange Vermilion. Orange mineral. 

Oriental Red. Indian red 2 parts, red lead 1 part. 

Peach Blossom. ‘Tint white with King’s yellow. 

Pink, Opera. White 50 parts, vermilion 5 parts, 
medium chrome green 1 part. 

Pink, Opaque. Equal parts of white lead and 
orange mineral, 
__ Pink, Royal. Zinc white 2 parts, carmine lake 1 part. 

Pink, Shell. White 50 parts, English vermilion 2 
parts, orange chrome yellow 1 part, burnt sienna 1 
part. 

Pompeiian Red. Mix dark Indian red and red lake. 
Or use a good deep Tuscan red. 

Rose. Tint white with carmine. 

Rose, Carnation. Zinc white 8 parts, rose madder 
I part. 

Rose Tint. White lead 16 parts, English rose pink 
I part; or, white 16 parts, Munich lake 1 part. 

Rose, pale tint. Zinc white 32 parts, Florentine 
lake 1 part. 

Rose, deep tint. Zinc white 8 parts, Victoria lake 
I part. ; 

Rose, Royal tint. White 16 parts, English rose 
lake x part. 

Scarlet Tint, deep. Vermilion 8 parts, carmine 1 
part, zinc white 1 part. | . 


The Expert Paint Mixer 103 


Turkish Crescent Red. Indian red 1 part, aniline 
vermilion 1 part, rose pink 1 part. 

Tuscan Red. Indian red 8 parts, rose pink 1 part. 

Vermilion, rich. English vermilion 3 parts, orange 
mineral 1 part. 


Cotors In WuicH BLUE PREDOMINATES 

Azure Blue. Zinc white 1 part, cobalt or ultra- 
marine blue 7, part. 

Electric Blue. Mix Chinese and Prussian blues and 
add a touch of red. 

Gothic Blue. Indigo or Chinese blue, white, and a 
drop of black. 

Old Blue. White, Prussian blue and a little yellow. 

Peacock Blue. White 90 parts, light chrome green 
5 parts, ultramarine blue 4 parts, drop black 1 
part. 

Purple, deep tint. White 3 parts, ultramarine blue 
I part, rose pink 1 part. 

Purple Slate. White 60 parts, ultramarine blue 3 
parts, Indian red 1 part. 

Purple, Regal. White 4 parts, cobalt blue 2 parts, 
carmine 1 part. 

Purple. Zinc white 4 parts, ultramarine blue 2 
parts, carmine 1 part. 

Purple, transparent. Cobalt or ultramarine blue 
I part, No. 40 carmine 1 part. 

Sky Blue. White 90 parts, Prussian blue 1 part. 


104 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Violet, transparent. Ultramarine blue 4 parts, 
orange mineral 1 part. 

Violet, tint. White 6 parts, ultramarine blue 3 
parts, English rose lake 3 parts, ivory drop black 1 part. 

Violet, white. White, vermilion, Prussian blue, 
and lake. Or, carmine, ultramarine blue and a very 
little of drop black. 


Cotors IN WHIcH GREEN PREDOMINATES 
’ Absinthe Green. Tint white with Paris green. __ 

Bottle Green, oil color. French yellow ochre, me- 
dium chrome yellow, Prussian blue and drop black. 
Match with green glass as seen in bottle of that color; 
the broken edges give the best idea. 

Bottle Green, for vehicle, varnished effect. Add 
Prussian blue to Dutch pink, and on this color glaze 
with yellow lake. 

Brilliant Green. White and Emerald green. 

Electric Green. Add some Electric Blue to medium 
chrome yellow. 

Invisible Green. Add a very little medium chrome 
yellow to lampblack or drop black. 

Moss Green. Mix Prussian blue, medium chrome 
yellow, raw umber and white. Or, chrome yellow, 
raw umber, and white. 

Olive Green, light. White 70 parts, yellow ochre 
15 parts, medium chrome yellow 5 parts, raw umber 
6 parts, drop black 4 parts. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 105 


Olive Green. Yellow ochre and lampblack. 

Parrot Green. Ultramarine blue, Dutch pink, and 
lemon chrome yellow. 

Silk Green. Mix Prussian blue and lemon chrome 
yellow, and French yellow lake. This is an expensive 
lake, and may be replaced with Dutch Pink. 

Subdued Green. Mix Prussian blue and lemon 
chrome yellow and add a little raw umber and white 
to obtain the right shade. Or, add raw umber and 
white to medium chrome green. 

Tea Green. Raw umber, chrome green and yellow 
ochre. 

Willow Green. Verdigris and white. 


Cotors In Wuicu YELLOW PREDOMINATES 

Acorn Yellow. Equal parts of white lead and raw 
sienna. 
- Amber Yellow. Medium chrome yellow 8 parts, 
burnt umber 5 parts, burnt sienna 3 parts. 

Aurora. Medium chrome yellow 1 part, English 
vermilion 35 part. 

Bronze Yellow. White lead 3 parts, medium chrome 
yellow 5 parts, raw umber 1 part. 

Canary. White lead 80 parts, lemon chrome yellow 
I part. 

Canary Yellow. White lead 6 parts, lemon chrome 
yellow 1 part. 

Cane. Tint white lead with yellow ochre and sad- 
den the color a little with burnt umber. 


106 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Car Body Yellow. Medium chrome yellow 1 part, 
yellow ochre 1 part. 

Colonial Yellow. White lead 95 parts, yellow ochre 
3 parts, lemon chrome yellow 2 parts. 

Cream. White lead 98 parts, yellow ochre 14 
parts, lemon chrome yellow ¥% part. 

Golden Tint. White lead 30 parts, yellow ochre 5 
parts, vermilion 1 part. 

Golden Yellow. Lemon chrome yellow ro parts, 
orange chrome yellow 2 parts, white lead 5 parts. 

Ivory. White 98 parts, raw sienna 1 part, lemon 
chrome yellow 1 part. 

Ivory White. A very clear but rather expensive 
ivory white may be made from French yellow lake, 
2 parts, raw Italian sienna 1 part, and zinc white 97 
parts. 

Old Ivory. White tinted with raw sienna. 

Jonquil. Tint white with medium chrome yellow. 

-Lemon Color. Lemon chrome yellow. 

Limestone Tint. Tint 18 parts of white lead with 
1 part of golden ochre. 

Naples Yellow. White lead 160 parts, golden ochre 
9 parts, orange chrome yellow 1 part. 

Orange, pale. White lead 6 parts, orange chrome 
yellow 1 part. 

Orange red. Deep orange chrome yellow. 

Orange. Orange chrome yellow, or medium chrome 
yellow tinted with red. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 107 


Orange, tint. Equal parts of orange chrome yellow 
and white. 

Primrose. Medium chrome yellow. 

Russet Yellow. Orange chrome yellow, white, and 
burnt sienna. 

Straw. White 90 parts, yellow ochre 7 parts, 
medium chrome yellow 3 parts; or, white 8 parts, 
medium chrome yellow 1 part. 

Sulphur Yellow. Equal parts of white and lemon 
chrome yellow. 

Yellow, transparent. Yellow lake makes the best. 
For a cheaper color use Dutch pink. Gamboge gives 
a bright color. Or, zinc white 8 parts, yellow lake 1 part. 

Yellow, brass. White lead 40 parts, lemon chrome 
yellow 12 parts, burnt umber 1 part. 

Yellow, rich. White lead 6 parts, medium chrome 
yellow 1 part. 

Yellow, topaz. White zinc 4 parts, yellow lake 1 
part. 

Yellow, flesh tint. White lead 80 parts, light 
cadmium yellow 1 part. 


THE Burr FAMILY OF COLORS 
Buff. White lead 2 parts, yellow ochre 1 part. 
Buff, deep. Tint yellow ochre with Venetian red. 
Buff, light. Reduce yellow ochre with white lead. 
Buff, medium. Add some white lead to ochre and 
tint with a little burnt sienna. | 


108 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Buff, warm. Tint yellow ochre with Indian red. 

Buff, dull. Add some burnt umber to buff. 

Buff, transparent. Zinc white 3 parts, golden ochre 
I part. 

Buff, rich. White lead 2 parts, yellow ochre 1 part. 
Or, tint orange yellow with raw sienna. 

Buff, stone. Equal parts of white lead and ochre. 

Buff, brilliant. The best grade of golden ochre. 


Various Coors, UNCLASSIFIED 


Amber. Add a little white to yellow lake. Or, red 
lake and chrome yellow. Or, add a little chrome yel- 
low to carmine. : 

Antique Brass. White lead 4 parts, medium chrome 
yellow 3 parts, Vandyke brown 1 part. 

Auburn. Indian red, drop black and Venetian red. 

Bay. Burnt umber, Dutch pink, and Venetian red. 

Beaver. Drop black and burnt umber. 

Bismarck Brown. Burnt umber, Dutch pink, red 
lake. 

Brass Shade. Yellow ochre 4 parts, Vandyke brown 
I part. 

Brown. Red and black. 

Brown Pink. White lead 16 parts, Chatemuc lake 
14 parts, Vandyke brown 1 part. 

Burgundy. Asphaltum with good red lake. 

Café au Lait. Coffee and cream. White, burnt 
umber, and medium chrome yellow. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 109 


Chestnut. Tone medium chrome yellow with red 
and black. Or tone yellow ochre with black and 
burnt umber. 

Chocolate. White and burnt umber with a little 
medium chrome yellow. | 

Citrine. White lead 75 parts, yellow ochre 15 
parts, burnt sienna 4 parts, drop black 6 parts. 

_ Citron. Tinge orange yellow with chrome green. 
~ Citron Yellow. White lead 16 parts, lemon chrome 
12 parts, emerald green 1 part. 

Claret. Tinge English purple lake with carmine. 
Or, tinge any good purple lake or carmine with ultra- 
marine blue. 

Clay Drab. Tint white lead with raw umber and 
raw sienna, with a mere touch of blue or green. 

Copper Color. White lead 20 parts, medium chrome 
yellow 4 parts, Venetian red 3 parts, raw umber 1 
part. 

Dove. White tinted with vermilion, Prussian blue, 
and medium chrome yellow. 

Dove Wing. White, ultramarine blue and drop 
black, with a touch of red lake. 

Drab. White lead 88 parts, yellow ochre ro parts, 
lampblack 2 parts. 

Drab, reddish. White lead go parts, yellow ochre 
8 parts, burnt umber 2 parts. _ 

Egyptian Brown. Ivory black and burnt umber. 
With asphaltum for either solid or for glazing. 


110 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Electric Turquoise. White, electric green, and elec- 
fric blues) | 

Fawn. White lead 94 parts, yellow ochre 5 parts, 
burnt umber 1 part. 

Fawn Pink. White lead 25 parts, burnt sienna 3 
parts. Or, white, drop black or raw umber, vermilion 
and medium chrome yellow. — 

.Flax Tint. White lead roo parts, yellow ochre 60 
parts, lampblack 1 part. | 

Flesh Color. Zinc white 95 parts, English vermilion 
3 parts, lemon chrome yellow 2 parts. 

Flesh Ochre. Yellow ochre 31 parts, red lead 1 
part. 

Flesh Tint. White lead 120 parts, yellow ochre 2 
parts, Venetian red 1 part. 

Freestone. White lead 10 parts, Venetian red 1 
part, yellow ochre 5 parts, lampblack 14 part. Free- 
stone is a reddish-drab color. : 

Gold. White, yellow, red, and raw umber. Or, 
white, lemon yellow, and burnt sienna. Or, tinge 
yellow ochre with red and blue. 

Golden Orange. Orange mineral 2 parts, golden 
ochre 1 part. 

Greenstone. White lead go parts, medium chrome 
green 3 parts, raw umber 3 parts. 

Gray. White, tinged to gray with blue, red and 
black. Or, with ultramarine blue, or lake, or burnt 
sienna, and indigo. For house painting this color is 


The Expert Paint Mixer II 


made from white lead base, which is first tinted with 
a very little blue, then witha red—burnt sienna will 
do in place of a red. 

Hay Tint. White lead 45 parts, golden ochre 15 
parts, medium chrome green 2 parts. 

Heliotrope. Carmine lake and white. 

Isabella. Medium chrome yellow, burnt umber, 
and Venetian red. 

Lavender. Zinc white 16 parts, mauve lake 1 part, 
rose madder 2 parts 

Lavender Tint. Zinc white 80 parts, ultramarine 
blue 3 parts, carmine 1 part; or, white lead 48 parts, 
ultramarine blue 1 part, rose pink 1 part. iy 

Lead Color. White lead 98 parts, lampblack 2 
parts. 

Leather. Tone down burnt umber and burnt sienna 
with white lead. | 

Leather, yellow. White lead 20 parts, golden ochre 
2 parts, burnt sienna 1 part. 

Lilac. White lead 96 parts, Tuscan red 3 parts, 
ultramarine blue 1 part. Or, vermilion in place of 
Tuscan red. 

Lilac, American. White, red madder lake, and 
ultramarine blue. 

Lilac, English. White, lake and Bremen blue. 

Lilac, French. White, carmine and Prussian blue. 

Lilac, rich. Zinc white 64 parts, mauve lake 1 part, 
madder lake 1 part. 


112 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Lilac, Tint. Zinc white 80 parts, ultramarine blue 
1 part, No. 40 carmine 1 part. 

Lilac, cheap tint. White lead 4o parts, rose pink 
I part. 

Lilac, purple tint. Zinc white 16 parts, cobalt blue 
I part, carmine lake 1 part. 

Limestone. White ochre, lampblack, and Indian red. 

Mahogany. Golden ochre 5 parts, Venetian red 2 
parts. 

Maroon. Carmine, medium chrome yellow, and 
burnt umber. Or, carmine or crimson lake and burnt 
umber. 

Mauve. Rosemadder, ultramarine blue and white. 

Mauve, tint. Zinc white 12 parts, cobalt blue 4 
parts, carmine lake 1 part. 

Morello. Rose pink with a very little drop black 
and white. 

Mulberry Red. Yellow ochre, burnt sienna and 
white. 

Old Gold. White lead 10 parts, golden ochre 1 
part, raw umber 1 part. 

Olive, golden russet. Lemon chrome yellow and 
light Venetian red or burnt sienna. 

Olive, drab. White lead 75 parts, raw umber 13 
parts, medium chrome green 7 parts, drop black 5 
parts. 

Olive Ochre. French yellow ochre 7 parts, raw 
umber 1 part. . 


The Expert Paint Mixer | 113 


Orange Ochre. Yellow ochre 7 parts, Venetian red 
I part. 

Peach. Tint white with yellow ochre, vermilion 
and purple-brown. 

Pearl. White, vermilion, Prussian blue, and tone 
with drop black. 

Pearl Drab. White, ultramarine blue, drop black, 
Venetian red, and yellow ochre. 

Pearl Gray. White lead 98 parts, drop black 114 
parts, Tuscan red 14 part. 

Portland Stone. Raw umber, yellow ochre and 
white lead. 

Plum. White, Prussian blue, and Venetian red. 
Or, white, ultramarine blue, red lake or carmine, and 
a very little drop black. 

Puce. Vandyke brown or burnt umber, and drop 
black, with a very little yellow chrome or ochre. 

_ Roan. Ivory black, red, and a little white. 

Roman Ochre. Yellow ochre 15 parts, burnt umber 
I part. 

Russet. Mix orange and purple. Or red, blue, and 
yellow. It is a tertiary color. © 

Russet, pure. Orange chrome yellow ro parts, me- 
dium chrome green 1 part. 

Shrimp. White, raw sienna, and a very little ver- 
milion. 

Silver Gray. White 97 parts, yellow ochre 2 parts, 
lampblack 1 part. 

S 


114 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Sorrel. Orange chrome yellow with a very little 
Venetian red; or, vermilion and yellow ochre. 

Silver. White, blue and black. 

Salmon. White 36 parts, golden ochre 4 parts, 
English vermilion 1 part; or, white 88 parts, yellow 
ochre, medium chrome yellow 2 parts, Venetian red 
2 parts. 

Salmon Tint. White 60 parts, vermilion 4 parts, 
lemon chrome yellow 1 part. 

Sandstone. White, medium chrome yellow, and 
Indian red. 

Slate. Tone white with red and darken with drop 
black and blue. 

Snuff. Yellow ochre and Venetian red; or, chrome 
yellow, burnt sienna and Venetian red. 

Spruce. White 80 parts, yellow ochre 10 parts, 
medium chrome yellow 6 parts, bright Venetian red 
4 Dariso sus 

Stone. White, yellow ochre, burnt umber. Or, raw 
sienna, burnt umber and white. 

Tan. White go parts, bright Venetian red 7 parts, 
medium chrome yellow 2 parts, lampblack 1 part. 

Terra Cotta. White 2 parts, golden ochre 1 part, 
burnt sienna 2 parts; or, white 85 parts, burnt sienna 
15 parts. 

Terra Cotta, light. White 3 parts, raw sienna 1 part. 

Terra Cotta, red. Equal parts of white lead and 
burnt sienna. | 


The Expert Paint Mixer 115 


Terra Cotta, tint. White lead 20 parts, burnt 
sienna I part. 

Tuscan Brown. Tuscan red, chrome yellow and 
drop black. 

Vandyke Drab. Vandyke brown, white lead, yellow 
ochre, and drop black. 

Vellum. Tint white with strong boiled oil. 

Wine Color. Tinge purple lake with blue. 


ADDITIONAL COLOR FORMULAS 


Apple Green. White lead 96 pounds, light chrome 
green 4 pounds. 

Cream. White lead 98 pounds, French yellow ochre 
one and one-half pounds, lemon chrome yellow one- 
half pound. 

Light Olive. White lead 70 pounds, French yellow 
ochre 15 pounds, medium chrome yellow 5 pounds, 
raw umber 6 pounds, drop black 4 pounds. 

Peacock Blue. White lead 90 pounds, light chrome 
green 5 pounds, ultramarine blue 4 pounds, drop black 
I pound. 


PALE AND DEEP TINTS 
Pale Tinis. 
Buff. White, ochre and burnt sienna. 
Blue. White and ultramarine blue. 
Cream. White with ochre or medium chrome yel- 
low. 


116 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Drab. White, with raw or burnt umber. 

Fawn. White with raw sienna and vermilion. 

Gray. White with ultramarine blue or lake. 

Gray. White with burnt sienna and indigo. 

Gray. White with vegetable black or lake. 

Gray. White with Prussian blue and Indian red. 

Lilac. White tinted with vermilion and ultramarine 
blue. 

Lavender. White tinted with Prussian blue and 
lake. 

Pink. White tinted with crimson lake or rose pink. 

Pink. White tinted with vermilion or Indian red. 

Peach. White tinted with vermilion, yellow ochre 
and purple-brown. 

Salmon. White tinted with vermilion and ochre. 

Stone. White tinted with ochre and raw umber. 

Straw. White tinted with light chrome yellow or 
Dutch pink. 


The Deep Tints. 

Brown. White, Prussian blue and Venetian red. 

Brown. White, purple-brown and lake. 

Brown. Same as above with addition of vegetable 
black. 

Brown. White, indigo, yellow ochre and vermilion. 
* Chocolate. White, lake, purple-brown and vege- 
table black. | 

Green. White, ochre and indigo. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 117 


Green. White, raw sienna and Prussian blue. 

Green. White, chrome yellow and Prussian blue. 

Lead Color. White and black. 

Orange. White, orange yellow and lake. Or, Dutch 
pink, white and lake. 

Violet. White, vermilion, Prussian blue and lake. 

Sage Green. White, Antwerp blue, and yellow 
ochre. 

Pea Green. White and Brunswick green. 

Duck Egg Green. White, ultramarine blue and 
light chrome yellow. : 

Blue. White and Antwerp blue, or white and in- 
digo blue. : | , 

Sage. White lead, medium chrome green, raw 
umber. ; 


SomE Coors FoR Common USE 


Green. There are many kinds of green, ranging 
from nearly black or brown to the palest tint. Strictly 
speaking many greens are green in name rather than 
in appearance. Yet all possess some green-making 
pigments. Thus, mixtures of blue and yellow ochre. 
Black and yellow ochre. Black and chrome yellow. 
The true or standard green is composed of blue and 
chrome yellow, in such proportions that neither pre- 
dominates, yet both are seen by the color-educated 
eye. As the proportions vary the product will be 
dark or light green, or medium green. Thus of ordi- 


118 The Expert Paint Mixer. 


nary painters’ chrome green there are light, medium, 
dark and extra dark green. For cheap painting a 
serviceable green may be made with black and yellow. 
It would not be as true a green as where Prussian 
blue is used with the yellow. Few greens are per- 
manent, that is to say, the true greens, but those 
made from black and ochre are not in this class, and 
while not true greens, and not very handsome, yet are 
stable and suitable for many kinds of work where 
durability is of more value than mere appearance. 
Ultramarine blue and zinc yellow make a durable 
green, and in place of the zinc yellow you may use 
yellow ochre. Such a green is not brilliant, nor can 
it be used safely with lead colors. Chinese blue and 
chrome yellow make the ordinary chrome green, but 
it is not permanent. This form of green is made at 
the factories. If made by the chemical process it 
will prove quite satisfactory as to permanency. 
Bottle Green is a fancy so-called green color. It 
is made from yellow ochre, black japan, and Prussian 
blue for common purposes. The finer bottle green 
color formula is given under the head of The Greens. 
Bronze Green. The true bronze green is made from 
orange chrome yellow, ivory drop black, and a small 
portion of burnt sienna. This finish, when seen under 
sunlight, should show a bronze lustre. But there are 
several forms of bronze green, some more on the bottle 
green order. Such a bronze green, so called, can be 


The Expert Paint Mixer 119 


made from medium chrome green, drop black, and 
burnt Turkey umber, or burnt sienna. These various 
pigments should be the best oil ground, and a light 
and dark shade may be had by using the chrome green 
of the right shade. Either the umber or the sienna 
may be omitted, but the black is essential to both 
bronze and bottle greens. Ivory drop black is the 
best to use, as lampblack gives the green a dull appear- 
ance, while gas black gives too much of a brownish 
tone. As drop black dries poorly it is necessary to 
assist it with a good quantity of a good japan drier. 


CHAPTER XI 


USEFUL SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PAINT 
MIXER 


Here is a complete working formula for a chocolate 
brown paint: 


White lead) 0. oe. vin ee 100s Ibs. 
Burnt. umber, ..4. 00. 04+ 2 ae ee 25 lbs. 
Burnt sienna: ..00.79.0N eee 10 Ibs. 
Medium chrome yellow............. 2 Ibs. 
Raw linseed ail... yee 51% galls. 
Pure turpentine: .\..../ Ve ¥ gall. 
Turpentine japan drier........:.... ¥ pint. 


The amount of chrome yellow to use is left to your 
discretion. Two pounds may be too much, or not 
enough, so that you will use whatever quantity you 
think will make the desired brown. ‘The formula 
given will make about 11 gallons of paint of good 
body, one that will allow of good rubbing out. As 
regards covering power, any paint mixture containing 
strong colors, like black, Prussian blue, yellow chrome, 
etc., will always be satisfactory. And white lead itself 
is a strong coverer, so that with it for the base and 
strong colors for the ters we have a paint of the 


utmost power. 
120 


The Expert Paint Mixer 121 


How much paint will roo lbs. of white lead make 
when mixed in oil ready for exterior or interior use? 
In answer we give the following working formula: 


too Ibs. white lead. 
5 galls. raw linseed oil. 
1 gall. pure turpentine spirits. 
I pint of drying japan. 


_ First, we have to know how many gallons the roo 
Ibs. of white lead will make. The answer is, 100 lbs. 
of white lead will bulk 234 gallons. Adding the liquids 
and we have very close to nine gallons of paint. 

It is desirable to know how much lead will be re- 
quired when about to mix a batch of paint, and how 
much of the thinners, etc., for otherwise we shall be 
merely guessing, and that is wasteful of materials and 
time. Of course, conditions vary so much that one 
formula will not answer for all, but to get the start 
we must know the capacity of each ingredient, what 
it is capable of, and what the resultant paint will do 
when ready to be used. Covering and spreading 
capacity are not the same thing. A paint may have 
great spreading capacity and yet not cover well. Take 
such a pigment as barytes or whiting, mix it with oil, 
and spread it on. It will spread on account of the 
oil it contains, but the covering will be very poor. 
Hence, in mixing paint you must have in mind the 
condition of the surface that is to be painted, its 


122 The Expert Paint Mixer 


nature, too, whether old or new work, metal or wood, 
etc. A paint may cover 700 square feet or 800 square 
feet. The capacity depends upon the fooasat les of the 
liquid. 

How much oil is generally allowed to the 100 Ibs. 
of lead? In a general way it may be said that five 
gallons of raw linseed oil will do for 100 pounds of 
white lead for general exterior painting. This will 
make allowances for conditions that are not equal to 
new work. Zinc white will take ae half as much 
more oil. : 

A Useful Mixing Rule. Sonne ene expert has 
given us a rule whereby we can know exactly how 
much pigment should be used to a gallon of oil, and 
below are a few samples of paint mixed in accordance 
therewith. 

One gallon of raw linseed oil requires 26.40 lbs. of 
dry white lead. 

One gallon of oil requires 21.20 lbs. of dry zinc 
white. 


One gallon of oil requires 20 lbs. of Indian red. 
One gallon of oil requires 12 Ibs. of yellow ochre. 
One gallon of oil requires 11.84 lbs. of umber. 
One gallon of oil requires 10.40 lbs. of bone black. 


Rule.—For each gallon of oil used take as much 
pigment as four times the specific gravity of te pig- 
ment. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 123 


Tist of Permanent and Fugitive Colors Chrome 
yellow is a lead chromate, or of the same nature as 
white lead, hence sulphur will affect its stability as 
it does that of white lead. It darkens, owing to the 
formation of black sulphide of lead. 

The umbers and siennas, yellow ochre and the 
burnt ochre and Vandyke brown are stable colors. 

Of the blues, ultramarine is the only stable color, as 
Prussian -blue and the others, including indigo, either 
alone or in combination, will fade. 

The stable reds include Venetian red, Indian red, 
light red, and madder lake. Avoid vermilionon exte- 
rior work; it does better when protected with a coat- 
ing of good varnish. 

For exterior use avoid a green made up of Prussian 
blue and chrome yellow: the blue will fade out. Some 
chemical greens stand very well, and if the color will 
suit you may make a green from French yeilow ochre 
and black. 

We speak of colors as being permanent and fugitive. 
As a matter of fact no‘pigments, in whatever combina- 
tion they may be made, can be depended upon for 
stability; paint will deteriorate, fading or otherwise 
altering and losing in color and texture. Generally 
speaking, dark colors are more permanent and capable 
of better service than the lighter colored ones. The 
dark colors seem to preserve their lustre better than 
the light colors. But this, if considered as a rule, is 


124 The Expert Paint Mixer — 


not without its exceptions. Dark colors certainly are 
affected worse than light colors by the action of thesun. 

Imitation of Tube or Artists’ Colors —In many of 
the color formulas given in Chapter X the names of 
tube or artists’ colors are given. The colors contain- 
ing these tube pigments are mostly used by carriage 
painters, but they may be useful also to the house 
painter, and where it is not convenient to use or get 
them, or where the cost is too great, some of them 
at least may be imitated with the common pigments, 
such as house painters use constantly. Thus— 

Madder Brown. Take a little Indian red and brown 
and add to cheap crimson; even cheap vermilion will 
sometimes answer. 

Purple Lake. Take vermilion and darken with 
ultramarine blue. | 

Brown Pink. Take raw sienna and a little Vandyke 
brown, with just a touch of Prussian blue. 

Aureolin. May be imitated with medium chrome 
yellow and a bit of white. 

Cobalt Green. White lead, Prussian blue, and a 
little Brunswick green. Or, white lead, ultramarine 
blue and Emerald green. 

Sepia. Burnt sienna and lampblack, with a touch 
of Indian red. Or black, Venetian red and burnt 
umber. 

Many other fancy colors and artists’ pigments may 
thus be imitated very cleverly, and it will pay to 


The Expert Paint Mixer 125 


practise when time affords, taking the tube color and 
trying to match it with the common painters’ pig- 
ments. 

To Darken Ceriain Colors.—Painters sometimes 
attempt to change the shade of the paint they have 
compounded, or of certain colors they have mixed, 
exactly in the wrong way, the result of which is 
that they get further away from the desired goal. 
Here are a few examples showing how to darken 
colors. 

Greens. If the green needs to be deeper in tone 
add some of the dark pigment that it is composed 
of. Thus, green, add blue. If to be very dark, although 
not containing black, add of that pigment, and if a 
different or truer shade is desired, add Prussian blue. 

Vermilion. To darken vermilion add Indian red. 
But it depends upon the shade you desire. Should 
you wish it different from what the Indian red will 
give, try Venetian red, burnt umber, or Vandyke 
brown. 

Venetian Red, Indian Red. Add umber or Vandyke 
brown. - Ms 

Umber or Vandyke Brown. These may be dark- 
ened with black. 

To lighten green add yellow or white, according to 
color desired. To lighten Indian red or Venetian red 
add vermilion. To lighten umber or Vandyke brown 
add Indian or Venetian red. 


126 The Expert Painr Mixer 


To darken blue add Prussian blue or black. To 
lighten, add white. 

Sometimes, when mixing a pot of paint, one gets it 
either too dark or too light. To get the right color 
you will have to add a very little of the correcting 
color at a time, or you may be in the position of one 
painter who, when he had done doctoring a pot of 
paint that was enough for a porch, had enough to 
do two houses. With some colors, say a gray, it is 
a delicate task to hit the right shade. The more 
experienced will have less difficulty, of course, than 
the amateur. 

Colors, Permanent and Fugitive-—In a preceding 
chapter mention has been made of those pigments 
which are not stable, some being affected by sulphur 
in the air, others fading from the action of direct sun- 
light. It is thought well to have a table showing these 
pigments for handy reference. They follow: } 

Chrome Yellow, various shades, is acted upon by 
sulphur, which is usually present in all coal-burning 
cities. It is a chemical color, lead chromate, being 
made from white lead, which also is affected by sul- 
phur, and when left uncolored on exterior work will 
darken greatly, from the sulphur action; sometimes 
such white painting assumes a decided lead color. 

Earth Pigments——These embrace the following: 
Sienna, umber, Vandyke brown, and yellow ochre. 
Venetian red and iron oxide are not considered as 


The Expert Paint Mixer 127 


pigments; though sometimes used for tinting, they 
are bases, or for use without addition of other colors. 
They too are stable. 

Blues. Ultramarine blue is the only member of 
this family that is stable, and wherever such a pig- 
ment is necessary on that account, or where a pig- 
ment is required that is immune to the action of lime 
or alkali in any form, it is indicated. It is useful in 
water color made from a whiting base, for instance. 
It will do to blue whitewash also. 

Reds. The dependable reds are Venetian red, In- 
dian red, light red, and madder lake. For exterior 
painting do not use chrome red, carmine lake or ver- 
milion. Where such colors can be protected with good 
varnish they do fairly well. 

Greens. The weak point in an ordinary green con- 
sists mainly in its Prussian blue content; as has 
already been pointed out, this blue fades out of the 
green, leaving a rust color only to show where a 
former fine green existed. The chrome yellow also is 
affected, as already described, by sulphur, so that 
neither pigment forming the green is dependable. 
Paris green, formerly used in painting inside Venetian 
blinds, is permanent but very poisonous; it is exten- 
sively used by farmers in exterminating bugs. 

There are chemical greens that are quite depend- 
able, the blue and yellow being chemically blended so 
that they will not separate, as the common kinds of 


128 The Expert Paint Mixer 


chrome green do. Greens made from black and ochre, 
while not exactly greens, do well on exterior work. 

The rule is that all pigments produced by the aid 
of heat will change under the influence of heat of a 
different character or temperature—they usually be- 
come deeper of color. Iron oxide paint is an example. 

To Assist Slow-Drying Colors to Dry.—Some pig- _ 
ments are slow driers and must be helped; this in a 
general way will apply to all the pigments, but some 
are slower, some faster, as you care to put it, than 
others. Vandyke brown is an example of a slow 
drier; to help it add some burnt umber, which is a 
good self-drier and will not alter the color of the 
Vandyke to any appreciable degree. Then there is 
raw sienna, a poor drier too. A little raw umber will 
help it and if not used in too large an amount will not 
injure its color. The blacks are poor driers, but the 
addition of a little Prussian blue and red lead will 
help it and not alter its tone. Mix the blue and red 
lead to form a gray color before adding to the black. 
A mixture of Prussian blue and red will give a black 
that is much more intense than drop black. That is 
to say, it will strike the eye as such, though as a matter 
of fact it will not be as black as drop black. 

White lead assists any pigment it may be added to 
to dry, being a good drier of itself. For this reason 
white lead is added to the black that is to form the 
ground for a smalts sign. In this case a lead color is 


The Expert Paint Mixer 129 


made dark, it is true, but when the black sand is 
sprinkled upon the dark lead ground the result is a 
dense black finish. A little lead is sometimes added 
to a black when used by the sign painter—not enough 
to be seen. Certainly, we have the liquid driers for 
the purpose, but in the case of some of the very slow 
pigments it would take too much driers to dry the 
paint, and harm would come of it. Better use the 
drying pigment to some extent. 

The Whites Used in Painis.—The most familiar of. 
the white pigments used in common painting are the 
well known white lead, zinc white and whiting. The 
others are not so well known to painters, as they 
come to them mostly by way of the paint mill. These, 
as well as the others, should be known as thoroughly 
as possible to the paint mixer, as well as to the paint 
applier. We shall begin with— 

White Lead. Basic carbonate of lead.’ The metal 
lead of pure quality is acted upon by acid and heat, 
which produces corrosion of the lead, forming a white 
crust, which is the white lead of commerce. A curious 
feature of the process is worth noting in this connec- 
tion; as the lead weighs so many pounds, say, when 
placed in the pots for corroding one would naturally 
expect the product to at least be less than the original 
amount; but instead of this we find a considerable 
increase in weight, so that the lead carbonate will be 
found, upon the scales, much heavier than the metal 

9 


130 The Expert Paint Mixer 


lead was. The increase in weight gives the corroder a 
good profit, it is claimed. 

The quick process needs not be described here, as 
we have done so in another place, as indeed has 
been, in a less degree, in the case of white lead. 

Zinc White, oxide of zinc. This is a product of heat, 
an oxide, as distinguished from white lead, a car- 
bonate. There are several grades, and what is com- 
mercially known as French zinc is not made in France, 
but is, or was before the war, made in Belgium. But 
the term means a grade, a superior product being 
now made in our own country.* Zinc is familiar to 
painters, and has been described briefly in another 
chapter. 

Whiting. Carbonate of Lime. One of our most use- 
ful whites. With it water color painting is made pos- 
sible at a minimum cost, and without it how should 
we make putty? There are several grades. The kind 
most used by the painter is called gilders’ bolted whit- 
ing, a grade suitable for water color work or putty. 
Whiting may also be used sometimes when making a 
paint where pure lead paint is not necessary, as in 
rough or cheap painting. As it has a very poor body 
and great bulk, in mixing for paint, or with lead 
paint, the mixer will think it incapable of forming a 
paint with sufficient body. It is best to place about 


* Wherever French zinc is mentioned in this work it means 
a zinc white made in the United States. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 131 


what you think will do, in a pot, and pour oil over it, 
and let the oil percolate through the whiting, just as 
is done in making up water color paint. 

Gypsum. Hydrated calcium sulphate. A natural 
lime sulphate, from which is made plaster of Paris, 
so called because made in large quantities in the city 
of that name, it being built upon a solid bed of the 
substance. Some other names are terra alba or white 
earth, and some commercial water paints are made 
with it as the base. 

China Clay. Hydrated aluminum. Known as 
white bole, kaolin, etc. Some forms of ready made 
paint contain china clay as the principal base. 

Blanc Fixe. Precipitated barium, permanent white, 
a superior grade of barium, used in certain paints. 

Barytes. Barium sulphate. Heavy spar. A heavy 
natural rock, ground and prepared for making certain 
forms of paint, sometimes as adulterant, but often to 
improve an exterior paint. 

Silica. Silicon dioxide. Silex, quartz. A very use- 
ful pigment, when ground very fine. Used also in 
making wood filler. It is used in some ready mixed 
paints, in place of barytes, it being preferable in 
some respects. tots 

Soapstone. Hydrated magnesium silicate. Steatite 
talc, French chalk. Varieties give different products. 
One product finds some use in a paint for certain pur- 
pose. It is called soapstone. 


132 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Pigments Not A ffected by Alkali.—Barytes, whiting, 
yellow ochre, Venetian red, Indian red, cobalt blue, 
ultramarine green, sienna, Vandyke brown, oxide of 
iron, lamp black, drop black, ultramarine blue. 

Pigments Proof Against Lime.—Barytes, lithopone, 
zinc white, whiting, china clay, yellow ochre, Indian 
yellow, iron oxide, madder red, and in less degree, 
red lead and English vermilion, cobalt green and terra 
verte, umber and Vandyke brown, lampblack and drop 
black, cobalt blue and ultramarine blue. | 

Pigments Not Affected by Sulphur Gas.—Zinc white, 
barytes, silica, China clay, Lithopone, terra alba, and 
whiting. Zinc lead and sublimed lead are nearly sul- 
phur-gas proof. Yellow ochre, Venetian red, Indian 
red, Tuscan red, ultramarine green, all the brown 
earth pigments, such as umber, Vandyke brown, the 
iron oxides, lampblack, drop black, and ultramarine 
blue. 

Pigments that Contain Sulphur.—Vermilion, that 
known as sulphide of mercury, such as Chinese, Eng- 
lish, and German; cadmium yellow, which is sulphide 
of cadmium; ultramarine blue and sulphide zinc white. 


Notes on ZINC WHITE 
The only action which sulphuretted hydrogen can 
have on zinc is to form zinc sulphide, which is itself 
a white and, therefore, does not injure the color of the 
white coat; even in tinted coats the action can hardly 


The Expert Paint Mixer 133 


be noticed. It is a question however whether the sul- 
phide of zinc is formed at all. 

Zinc oxide is prepared from (1) metallic zinc and 
(2) from zinc ore. The latter is known as the indirect 
process, and is mostly used in the United States. 

Pure zinc has an extraordinary capacity for spread- 
ing, much more so than white lead. But spreading 
must not be confounded with covering, as understood 
by painters. A much larger area can be covered with 
pure zinc white than with white lead, but the coating 
would not be as solid. 

Zinc white should always be kept in tins or in 
tinned iron vessels. If placed in wood the wood will 
absorb the oil from the paste and the zinc will be 
more or less dry and hard, and not as good again. 
Water should not be used to cover it as you would 
cover white lead; water injures the zinc; use oil 
instead. : 

The best zinc oxide has an apparently poorer cover- 
ing quality than white lead, but we are told by those 
interested in the matter that if we take zinc and white 
lead, pound for pound, and not by mere bulk, zinc 
being bulkier than lead, we shall find that it covers 
equal to lead. It is said that the lower grades of 
zinc oxide, or what passes for such, have very much 
less covering power than the best grade. White lead 
cannot easily be adulterated to any extent without 
detection by an expert painter. It is different with 


134 The Expert Paint Mixer 


zinc, which may easily be adulterated and then its 
faults are blamed upon the zinc itself. 

To test the purity of zinc oxide in its dry state it 
may be heated and then allowed to cool, when if pure 
it will return to its original white. Boiled in dilute 
nitric or muriatic acid it should dissolve completely 
without effervescence. If it effervesces during solution 
there is some carbonic acid present, due to white 
lead, whiting, or to zinc carbonate. If any insoluble 
matter be present it is most likely barytes. To test 
zinc white in oil wash out the oil with gasoline or 
ether, dry the pigment, and test as above. 

Leaded zinc is now adopted to indicate an oxide of 
zinc which contains a proportion of basic sulphate of 
lead. The presence of lead is due to the mode of 
production of the pigment, and the nature of the ore 
from which it is obtained. An authority has brought 
out clearly that provided the proportion of lead did 
not exceed a reasonable limit the pigment did not 
suffer, but on the contrary became a better protective 
medium. 


PRACTICAL NOTES FOR THE PAINT MIXER 


If you are about to mix some colored paint you 
can save labor and time by breaking up the lead and 
color separately, and then straining each before adding 
to the lead mass. 

A rule that is pretty general among paint makers 


The Expert Paint Mixer 135 


is to add one-half pint of driers to a gallon of raw oil, 
which is calculated to dry the paint in from 18 to 24 
hours, in fair weather. As this rule calls for the best 
turpentine driers it would seem to be a rather large 
amount. But the amount must always depend upon 
conditions, as explained in a preceding chapter. 

If you wish to add a little oil to a japan color first 
mix the japan color with a little turpentine, then it 
will mix readily with the oil, which may then be added 
to the color, which will not curdle. 

When mixing paint to get a tint, add the lightest 
color first, then the darker one, according to depth of 
color and tinting strength. 

If too much turpentine is added to exterior paint it 
will be hard, not sufficiently elastic; such a paint will 
become hard and brittle, cracking later. 

Boiled oil is a sort of oil varnish, hence if too much 
is used in outside paint the paint film will be soft, 
and apt to wrinkle. Too much driers also makes a 
soft paint, which does not dry well. 

Stir the paint always with the paint paddle, never 
with the paint brush, as many painters do. 

Study the various paint materials and understand 
which is best suited for any special purpose. 

Unless the odds and ends of paint are used up right 
along they will accumulate and be a waste. Try to 
incorporate them with some paint that you may have 
to mix each day. If so used, while fresh or not fatty 


136 The Expert Paint Mixer 


they will not injure the paint in any way, but in 
some cases improve it. Colored leftovers must of 
course be used with colored paint, and only white 
remainders be used with white paint. 

Keep the keg or can of white lead covered with 
water, and the can of zinc-white covered with oil. 
Oil on top of each opened pigment can is good. _ 

If when beginning to mix a pot of paint you add 
too much oil the lead will become lumpy and be very 
much harder to mix to a paste than where you add a 
little oil at a time. , 

When a paint made from white lead, especially 
where drying colors are used, is thinned mostly with 
turpentine less driers should be used than where oil 
is the chief liquid thinner. » 

The most valuable iron oxides for painting are the 
bright reds, the browns, and the yellows. 

It is economy to buy the best grades of colors. It 
will require three pounds of cheap chrome yellow to 
do the same amount of tinting that one pound of the 
best grade will tint. Nor will the poorer article give 
as rich a tint. Eight ounces of the best lampblack 
will go farther and do better work than two pounds 
of cheap black. : 

When applying paint stir it now and then, to keep 
the ingredients mixed. The liquids naturally come to 
the top, and the solids go to the bottom, and the 
heavier the pigment the worse the settling. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 137 


Of the two, thin paint does better than thick, but 
it will require more coats to afford the same protec- 
tion. Heavy paint does not brush out well. It is 
apt to crack and scale. Thin paint is more elastic 
owing to the greater amount of oil. 

Don’t mix too much paint for the work in view; 
if any is left over place it in a can and cover it tight, 
to exclude the air; also label it so that you can tell 
at a future time aria it is. 

Tests seem to have proved that a ae thinned 
with go parts of boiled oil and 10 parts of turpentine 
is less porous when dry than a paint made from either 
raw oil or boiled oil alone. 

Too much oil with white lead will cause it to sag 
or run; yet it is desirable to mix as much oil as pos- 
sible. It is the life of a paint. 


A List oF PERFECT COLOR COMBINATIONS 


Black and white. 

Blue and gold. 

Blue and orange. 

Blue and salmon. 

Blue and maize. : 

Blue and brown. 

Blue and black. 

Blue, scarlet, and lilac. 

Blue, orange, and black. 

Blue, brown, crimson, and gold. 


138 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Blue, orange, black, and white. 

Red and gold. 

Red, gold, and black. 

Scarlet, and purple. 

Scarlet, black, and white. 

Crimson and orange. 

Yellow and purple. 

Green and gold. 

Green, crimson, turquoise, and gold. 
Green, orange, and red. 

Purple and red. 

Purple, scarlet, and gold. 

Lilac and gold. 

Lilac, scarlet, and white or black. 
Lilac, gold, scarlet, and white. 

Lilac and black. 

Pink and black. 

Black, with white or yellow and crimson. 


it will be noted that the above table gives black, 
gold and white places in many instances. These three 
colors, counting gold a color, agree with all other 
colors, so that you cannot go wrong when placing 
any of them next to any other color. The above 
table was compiled by an artist. Of course a very 
much larger table could be formed, for there is hardly 
any limit to the number of perfect color combinations. 


The Expert Paint Mixer 139 


A study of the primaries, secondaries and tertiary 
colors is helpful in arranging harmonious colors. 


Mrxinc VARIOUS SPECIAL PAINTS | 

Bath Tub Enamel Paint.—Break up eight pounds of 
best French process zinc white that has been ground 
in damar or other light varnish, and mix with it one- 
half pint of turpentine, stirring it in gradually, after 
which add, also slowly, two quarts of the best white 
enamel varnish, copal, not damar. This ought to 
make one gallon of the best bath tub enamel. 

Red Paint for Magnets —Take one part of white 
or bleached shellac varnish and two parts of Venice 
turpentine, adding three parts of English vermilion 
to color. The Venice turpentine should be mixed with 
the shellac and set in a warm place until the turpen- 
tine has become liquid, the back part of the stove 
being a good place. After the two have merged and 
the mass is fluid, take it away from the heat and 
when it is about 140 deg., Fahr., thin with 95 per 
cent. alcohol, ten parts. Rub the dry vermilion to a 
paste with some of the liquid, or with alcohol, and 
add to the other mixture. Now set the mass on a 
water bath for a few minutes, then take it off and 
stir until cool. Place in a well-stoppered bottle and 
heat on water bath when wanted for use. Heat the 
magnet before applying the paint. 


140 The Expert Paint Mixer 


Paint for Metal Roof.—An imitation slate paint 
for a metal roof may be made upon this formula: 


Lead ‘zine: ..72, ois .% snes 2 20 Ibs 
Whiting: .°.s 0.4013 deel pneu 10 lbs 
Cement... 2.0 iue so, saks See ene 5 lbs 
Graphite 04.5. osc | a ee 15 lbs. 
Lampblack? 0.50... .c0 t lb. 


Mix with three gallons of boiled linseed oil. 

This will produce a dark gray slate color, and may 

be made a fine deep olive green by substituting two 
to five pounds of chrome yellow for the black. Thin 
this paint with boiled oil. If the paint is to be used 
on shingles thin out with kerosene one part and boiled 
oil two parts. It should be said here that the kerosene 
oil does well in this paint on wood, but fails on 
metal. This because the kerosene cannot penetrate 
the metal. 
+ Paint for Smokestack.—Mix graphite, pulverized, 
with coal tar and thin out with kerosene to the proper 
brushing consistency. The coal tar will stick all right, 
even with the coal oil thinning. Graphite pans alone 
is good, or coal tar alone. 

Paint for Bird Cage.—Never use white lead for this 
purpose, as it is poisonous. Mix zinc white to a stiff 
paste with pale copal varnish, and thin out with tur- 
pentine. The cage maker enamels the paint on the 
cage, and this you can do if you have access to a 


The Expert Paint Mixer 141 


kitchen oven of right size; 150 deg. heat is enough, 
maintaining it at that point until the process is com- 
plete. The heat required for such work is about the 
same as for baking bread. 

Good Paint for Iron Work.—A paint chemist gives 
the following formula for ordinary iron or steel work. 
Take the best French yellow ochre 39 lbs., and lamp- 
black 1 lb., both ground in oil. Thin with raw linseed 
oil 54 lbs., and japan drier 6 lbs. 

Bronze Green for Iron Railings.—Sift and mix to- 
gether in the dry state, and then mix with 5 oz. 
japan the following: 2 lbs. chrome green, 1 oz. lamp- 
black, and 1 oz. medium chrome yellow. This should 
be ground in a paint mill, then thin out with raw oil 
to a brushing consistency. _ 

Soapstone Paint.—Mention has been made in an- 
other chapter of soapstone or steatite as a paint pig- 
ment. It should be further said about it that a paint 
can be made with it alone, though usually it is added 
to paint containing other pigments. It has been 
recommended for iron railings or iron work in general, 
as well as for wood. It does not seem to be affected 
by the weather as other paints are, heat, cold or frost, 
gas or acids not affecting it at all. With varnish it 
makes a fine enamel paint. The paint flows and 
sticks well. _ 

A White Paint for Stoves—Obviously a paint to do 
well on a stove, particularly the hot parts, must be 


142 The Expert Paint Mixer 


fire- and heat-proof. Here is a formula furnished by 
a paint chemist: 
(a) 16 fluid ounces waterglass solution, 36 B. 
6 fluid ounces of water. 
2 fluid ounces white sugar sirup. 
(b) 8 ounces China clay. 
2 ounces pulverized soapstone. 

; 2 ounces dry zinc white. 

Mix (a) and (b) together. Applied when the stove 
is cold; after the stove becomes hot the paint will 
turn to a light gray, but finally it becomes white. 
By leaving out the sirup the paint becomes white at 
once. The purpose of the sirup is to prevent the 
waterglass (sodium silicate) setting up too quickly. 
Ordinary light colored sirup would do as well and so 
save the costly and scarce sugar. 

Painting a Stove with Aluminum.—Mix aluminum 
powder with ordinary copal varnish, thinning with 
turpentine. Have the stove perfectly clean. An 
expert painter has used this formula with great satis- 
faction, and has used it equally well on school radia- 
tors, the finish looking well at the end of five or six 
years. The top of the stove will of course need 
renewal once in a while. 

To Paint on Copper.—Copper does not take paint 
well and must be prepared for it. Make up and 
apply a solution of copper sulphate and add a little 
nitric acid in water. This will slightly roughen the 


The Expert Paint Mixer 143 


copper and so afford the paint a foothold. Some use 
acetone one part to benzol two parts. 

To Paint on Sheet Lead.—Paint does not adhere to 
lead without some preparation of the surface. One 
way is to rub it with fine sandpaper, but it is rather 
the nature of lead not to take paint, so that a coat of 
varnish is sometimes advised as a first coat. Certain 
pigments do better on lead than certain others; for 
instance, iron oxide paint does well, while ochre and 
other earth pigments do not. 

Elasticity is an important feature of a durable paint 
for metal, and this depends more upon the thinners 
than on the pigment. A proper mixture of the two 
gives the best results. 

Dry oxide of iron, or metallic brown, as it is also 
known, will require as much as 15 gallons of oil to 
bring it to the right consistency for application, where 
the same amount of red lead will take from 3 to 4 
gallons only. In this case it is to be noted that the 
red lead is a more elastic pigment than iron oxide. 

When Paint Livers or Thickens.—Some pigments are 
alkaline, and when mixed with oil saponification takes 
place; the oil and alkali form a soap. Such soap, 
however, is really a drier, the soap being a metallic 
soap; paints in which such soap is formed dry readily 
to a hard film. In some cases they dry rather too 
readily the result being checking and cracking, just as 
occurs when too much strong driers are used. 


144 The Expert Paint Mixer 


The way to prevent such saponification is to use 
inert with chemically active pigments, if it be possible. 
This is why we advocate adding barytes, an inert pig- 
ment, to white lead compounds. 

Why Yellow Ochre Primer Peels.—Ochre is of a very 
hard nature, and when applied as a priming coat and 
it becomes quite dry, the film of paint is so hard that 
the following lead and oil coat will not adhere to it. 
It is always best to prime woodwork with white lead 
primer. | 

Spotting of New Paint.—This occurs often and 
usually the painter does not know the cause. It is 
the result of faulty surface, some parts soft and other 
parts hard; the paint sinks into the soft parts and 
not into the hard parts, in consequence of which there 
will be spots showing where the paint disappeared 
and where it remained. To remedy this go over the 
surface after the priming is dry with a touch-up coat, 
painting the parts where the primer coat has sunk in. 
When the touching-up paint is dry apply the second 
coat as usual. 

Laps, due to improper painting, or brushing out, 
are apt to fade out and show spotty; the laps will be 
more pronounced owing to the heavier coating there. 
The laps show worse after a few months than at first. 

If the Paint Runs.—There are at least two causes 
for paint running. If the paint is thin and you try 
to get it on to cover like a heavier paint would cover 


The Expert Paint Mixer 145 


it is bound to run. If the pigment composing the 
paint is too coarse or of heavy gravity the paint will 
run unless brushed out well. A third cause may be 
found in the use of a paint that has been mixed too 
long, or until it has become fatty. Again, if you use 
an oil that has some petroleum oil in it the paint may 
run, owing to the film remaining undry too long; the 
quicker a paint sets the less the danger of running. 

Why White Lead Chalks.—The well known chalking 
of exterior white lead paint is peculiar to lead and 
does not in any way imply that the paint was not of 
the best quality. The addition of whiting as an 
adulterant would not increase its tendency to chalk. 
It would mean simply less lead and more oil, and be 
equivalent to a thin coat, which could, perhaps, be 
applied just as well without the whiting. Whiting in 
oil has practically no body, being therefore a useless 
adulterant of white lead except to prevent running. 
With red lead the case is different. 

When the Paint Frosts in Winter.—If paint is applied 
and is undry when evening comes, the frosty air of 
night may destroy the gloss and make the surface 
paint very unsightly. It may restore the gloss if 
you will rub it with an oily rag, using linseed oil. 

Adding Whiting to Red Lead.—The addition to red 
lead of whiting causes no change of color or quality. 
Whiting is a very weak white color, and cannot alter 


any color to which it is added. The addition of whit- 
Io 


146 The Expert Paint Mixer 


ing to red lead paint serves to keep the heavy paint 
in suspension and to prevent it from running when it 
is applied to iron. 

Varnish in Exterior Paint.—Varnish is very seldom 
used in exterior paint, and when so used it is for the 
purpose of hardening the film, as in porch floor paint- 
ing. Varnish serves safer in flat than in oil paint. 

When Salt is Met WithHaving a warehouse, in 
which salt is stored, to paint, the painters met with 
trouble by the salt affecting the paint. If damp then 
the salt is wet. We can take a hint from ships which 
carry salt as cargo. Such ships are of iron or steel 
construction, hence liable to rusting in contact with 
salt and damp air. The owners have them painted 
with red lead paint. We presume that the first coat 
on the warehouse work should be red lead paint, and 
some of the red in the second coat. 

Iron Oxide Paint Loses Luster —What is the cause? 
Loss of its luster often occurs with this paint, when 
mixed with raw oil and when some turpentine has 
been added. Thin up with boiled oil, add a little 
exterior varnish, and avoid raw oil. 

When Lead Becomes Hard.—Lead becomes as hard 
as stone when left unprotected with oil, and to get 
it in shape for mixing it must be heated. This may 
be done by pouring hot water over it and allowing 
it to stand on the back part of the stove a few hours, 
or by dry heat; the first way is best. It will become 


The Expert Paint Mixer 147 


soft, but must be mixed while hot or warm before it 
gets cold, when it would again be hard. Soften hard 
putty in the same way. 

To Make Flat Wall Paint.—Take 50 lbs. of gilders 
bolted whiting and place in suitable vessel; pour cold 
water on it until the surface becomes covered. Let 
stand say over night; in the morning pour off the 
surplus water, then stir the mass with two gallons of 
hard oil or gloss oil; add any desired color, ground in 
water. Thin down for use with benzine or turpentine, 
according to what you have in mind in the way of 
cost. This paint will dry without gloss, and it is a 
cheap wall paint. 

Cheap Dark Painis.—A paint that may be used 
where a better or higher priced paint is not desired 
may be made from two parts of dry Venetian red to 
one part of gilders whiting. Mix to a paste with raw 
linseed oil and thin out with a mixture of one part 
benzine to three parts of raw oil, adding also + of 
total quantity of above liquids of gloss oil. Mix a 
pound each of bicarbonate of soda and sodium phos- 
phate in hot water and mix with the paint. Another 
cheap paint is made thus: Mix together one part of 
dry Venetian red and three parts of ochre; add some 
white lead to give the paint more body. About one 
part lead will do. If the color is too bright add some 
black to subdue it. Thin up with any cheap thinners. 

When the Paint Becomes Thin After Mixing.—This 


148 The Expert Paint Mixer 


can be caused when pulp lead is used, by the water 
in the pulp, and which should have been eliminated 
when made, the water forming an emulsion with the 
Jead and oil. There is also another cause, the presence 
of excess of hydroxide in the lead. 

Grain Paint.—This old-timer may be made by boil- 
ing two pounds of rye flour, and while boiling adding ~ 
two pounds of thinned oil paint, stirring until a per- 
fectly mixed compound results. Good for old exterior 
surfaces; one or two coats. 


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